About 4% of seniors live in nursing homes. For the remainder, adult children often struggle to find ways to share the responsibility of caring for aging parents in Nevada.
Determine if parents need help
The first step to determining if parents need help is to notice their physical and mental condition. If the home is starting to look more unorganized than it did when you were growing up, it may be time to step in and offer to help. Talk to your parents about their finances and ensure that at least one person knows where their important documents, such as their insurance policies and will, are located.
Rely on your siblings’ strengths
Before becoming involved in your parents’ affairs out of necessity, discuss with your sibling how you want to share duties when they need help. Each person has strengths and weaknesses that they bring to the table. If one or more siblings live more than an hour away, they can still help contribute financially or by researching alternative solutions.
Support the local caregiver
Caregiving is not for the faint of heart. Therefore, while long-distance siblings need to stay connected to their parents, ensure that you also support the sibling who is taking on most of the work of physically caring for the parents. A quick phone call or text regularly can help them feel appreciated.
Rely on outside support when needed
The sibling who lives nearby does not necessarily have to do everything themselves. Consider hiring home health care workers to assist your parents. In most cases, Medicare covers the cost. Think about hiring handymen and lawn care services to do things that are not your strong suites or that you do not have time to do.
Before your parents need help, discuss with your siblings how they want to share the workload of caring for aging parents. Then, watch for the time to implement the plan.