It is no longer the norm for all members of the family to live within close proximity of one another. Instead, relatives are far-flung throughout the country and rarely have the opportunity to be together. This can make providing elderly care for aging loved ones extremely difficult. The adult children that are not living close to home can feel disconnected and ignored in the decisions that are made regarding their parents, while the ones that are living close to the parents can feel pressured and overwhelmed by the responsibility. Keeping the family involved in elderly care can help maintain bonded family relationships and in sure that your aging loved ones receive the highest level of care possible.
The first step in keeping the entire family involved in elder care services is having a meeting with all of the members of the family that will be a part of the elderly care arrangement. Generally this is all of the siblings being involved in the care of aging parents, though other family members are known to provide care as well. Getting together for such a meeting can be virtually impossible, but thanks to technology it is possible to bring everyone together in the form of a video chat or instant message chat room. Make sure that everyone is available and that each person has the opportunity to discuss his feelings regarding the elderly care of his aging parents so that these opinions can be taken into consideration.
Once it has been decided which siblings desire to be involved in the elderly care of your aging loved ones, devise a plan for their involvement. This can include daily phone calls, weekly video chats or ongoing letter writing correspondence with your parents. You can also request that your siblings provide ongoing financial support or help out by being responsible for arranging physician appointments and keeping up with the schedule. Though keeping all members of a long-distance family involved in elder care services can be difficult, it can also be extremely fulfilling and ensure that family relationships are kept close.
