Last November, my sister Susie and I presented at the National Caregiving Conference in Chicago. Our topic was “Sharing the Care – How One Family Approaches Caregiving”.
Our session description:
Caregiving often cannot be a one person job. It often takes a team of people to help provide the companionship and personal care for a care recipient.
In this session, Elizabeth and sister, Susie, share how they divide and conquer the family responsibilities and help support each other while living in three different states. These sisters (who refer to themselves as #sisterpower) recognize and tap into their strengths and collaborate with their brothers to help care for their chronically ill mom, their brother with a developmental disability, and their mom’s properties.
This family session focuses on:
- Communicating with Family
- Approaching Difficult Conversations
- Managing Expectations
- Finding Humor in Unexpected Places
- Sharing Responsibilities – even from a distance
- Organizing the Paperwork
- Advocating for our Care Recipients
- Protecting the Sibling Relationships
Each session attendee received two free worksheets – Family Responsibilities and Caregiving Responsibilities. These resources can be applied in the family caregiver’s own life to determine how they can build and unit their care team.
I’m grateful our session was recorded. Click the video below to view a recording of our presentation.
