Essential tips for caring for your elderly parent.

1. Do not make promises that you cannot keep. As you grow up and your parents begin to get older, try not to make commitments to them that you know you are not capable of full filling. An example could be making a promise to be with a parent every hour of the day when you know that you have other full time commitments such as work or kids. Instead try to negotiate with your parent on time to spend together and set up realistic goals so as not to disappoint them.

2. Have a family conference Get together as a family and decide on the way forward in terms of caring for your aging parents. Others take turns to take care of a sick parent who can be moved from one child to the other periodically. This might be beneficiaries to your parents as they get to spend time with all their children at different intervals and they also experience different environments. Also decide together whether to put your mum in a nursing home or to find a caregiver and how the expenses will be split.

3. Research about availabale services. Many needs of elderly parents do not even require the skills of highly qualified people. It takes ordinary people, phone calls, beautiful scenery and good meals to make them comfortable. If your parent lives alone and dedicated care is needed, contact a reputable agency offering fully trained care assistants. You might also want to involve your parent’s favourite church characters.

4. Be sensitive to the primary caregiver. Even when a parent has amny children, one will always emerge as the primary caregiver. If this is not you, do whatever you can to help, like using your holiday time to provide care to give your sibling a break or make a financial contribution to costs involved. Also know and respect your limits, otherwise you become exhausted or depressed. Also make time for yourself