Family Conflicts that Arise when Caring for Senior Parents
By Gary Hightower 8 am on
Having a support network is critical for preventing caregiver stress, but what happens when you and the other members of your aging parent’s caregiving team are experiencing conflict regarding his or her care? As frustrating as it can be to experience additional stress, it’s important to know that many common conflicts are easy to manage with some careful planning.
Scheduling Confusion
In the beginning, most caregiving teams create schedules for when each person is responsible for providing care. However, this schedule may not work perfectly over time. Sudden work meetings, family emergencies, and social obligations can all pop up with little notice. Therefore, it’s important to have a plan for alternate care in place before a conflict occurs.
Different Care Strategies
It’s very common for two people, especially siblings, to have different ideas about how to handle the same task. While it’s good for your parent to have changes throughout the day, it’s important to be in agreement regarding the overall routine and health management strategies. If necessary, seek a professional opinion from a third party regarding care techniques, and make sure everyone is willing to stick to the plan. Family members can easily become overwhelmed by their caregiving duties, and a professional home caregiver can be a wonderful addition to your caregiving team. One of the most challenging tasks of helping an elderly relative age in place safely and comfortably is researching agencies that provide home care.Turn to Home Care Assistance for reliable, high-quality in-home care for aging adults. We offer 24-hour live-in care for seniors who require extensive assistance, and we also offer respite care for family caregivers who need a break from their caregiving duties.
Unfair Burdens
No matter how fair you try to make the arrangements, someone is sure to feel as if he or she is shouldering the bulk of the burden at some point. Make an effort to host a caregiver meeting once a month to discuss how each person is handling his or her care responsibilities. If necessary, redistribute tasks or seek help from a professional respite caregiver so no one becomes overwhelmed. In Irving, respite care is a great help to many families. Caring for a senior loved one can be overwhelming at times, which puts family caregivers at risk for burnout. However, an in-home caregiver can take over your loved one’s care, allowing you the time you need to focus on your own health, maintain a full-time job, or care for other members of your family.
Medication Mix-Ups
Although it’s ideal to have only one person in charge of monitoring medication, this may not always be possible. Use pill organizers that keep track of the time and day for each dose, and have each caregiver record any medication taken in a health journal nearby. This way, everyone is on the same page regarding one of the most critical parts of your loved one’s care. Many conflicts over caregiving responsibilities can be resolved by hiring a professional caregiver for your loved one. Although it may be challenging to find reliable, highly rated in-home care, Irving, TX, families can turn to Home Care Assistance. Our respite and live-in caregivers are expertly trained to assist seniors with a wide array of important tasks, including cooking, bathing, light housekeeping, and exercise. For more information about our flexible, customizable home care plans, call one of our compassionate Care Managers today at (817) 591-1580.
