More and more adult children are caring for their aging parents. Sometimes adult children move their parents into their own homes in order to provide constant care and sometimes they make the daily trek to their parents’ house to assist with daily tasks like bathing, getting dressed, and preparing food.
It is not uncommon for one sibling to take responsibility for caring for a parent because one sibling may live closer than the others or may have a more flexible job than the other siblings.
When Responsibility Falls to One Relative
When one person assumes the responsibility of caring for a parent, that one person may have to cut back on her own work hours, may have to remodel her home to accommodate a parent and may have to forgo spending time with her own children. The adult child should keep track of her time and let other family members know how difficult the job may be. No one should assume others realize how difficult and time-consuming it is to care for an aging parent.
Family Members Can Help
The adult child who assumes the responsibility for caring for a parent will need support too. Family members should be sensitive to the high level of stress the adult child must be experiencing. Siblings who are not able to help on a day to day basis should offer to share the expenses of caring for a parent. They should also offer the main caregiver a break. A weekend off or a week vacation for the main caregiver can go a long way to help both the aging parent and caregiver and it is good for siblings to get an appreciation of how the caregiver manages the care every day.
Getting Legal Help
Experienced Elder Law Attorney Elga Goodman understands the challenges involved in protecting aging relatives and help you find resources and make a plan to help the people you love. Contact us today at today at 973-841-5111.
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