Tips for Family Disagreement on Finding Care

If you grew up with siblings, chances are you fought from time to time. As you grew older, those arguments changed from fighting over toys to who gets to drive the car. When it comes to home care for your parents, fighting with your siblings or loved ones can be prevented. 

There are many reasons why siblings fight over home care for their parents. Whether it’s money, living arrangements, or responsibility imbalance, here are five tips for you to consider when working with your siblings on finding care for your parents:

Begin Conversations Early

To avoid conflict, begin to plan before an emergency occurred. Even if your parents are healthy and functioning well physically and cognitively, talk and plan now before anything happens so that you and your family can be prepared.

Practice Compassion

At the end of the day, you and your family are striving towards the same goal, to care for your parents. Be sure to practice compassion and patience. Speak to each other with respect when you talk about a topic, no matter how big or small from your personal perspective. Not listening or raising your voice will only delay finding a solution together that works with the family.

Communicate

Most conflict often stems from miscommunication or even lack of communication. Make sure everyone knows the right information about your parents at the right time. Get together regularly to share updates and to plan. If siblings live far apart, schedule video calls, emails, and other online tools to communicate. Respect what each sibling shares and let them speak without interruption.

Involve Your Loved One

If they are in good health, involve your senior loved one so that both sides can understand what they truly want. Does mom feel safe behind the wheel or would she prefer others take her where she needs to go? Your loved one’s voice should be heard if possible as part of the decision-making process so that they also feel good about the transition.

Consult With A Home Care Agency

If you are having issues deciding, not sure what services you really need, or just need an outside resource, reach out to your local home care agency (you can contact us here) to discuss the process and what the best options for your parents are. You also want to see what is covered by insurance, or if this will be something that will need to be privately paid for.

Seeing your parents age isn’t always easy, but having the help they need to live comfortably in their home is always important. Feel free to reach out to our team if you have any questions when it comes to home care.