How To Manage Sibling Rivalry While You Are Caregiving

When aging parents start experiencing health problems requiring caregiving, issues of sibling rivalry can arise.

Despite everybody’s best intentions, they can sabotage all of the efforts made to offer good care.

The key to making sure this extra stress is avoided as well as major family conflicts, is to learn how to manage sibling conflicts before they cause serious problems.

Conflicts among siblings frequently originate in childhood. This can make it tricky to work them out. Even those adults who believe they have been able to leave their old feelings in the past frequently find them resurfacing whenever family pressures start to intensify.

Old Rivalries May Be Replaced By New Family Dynamics

Fortunately, there are several potential pathways that can be taken to improve the relationships you have with your siblings. Finding the one that will work best for your specific situation is the key.

The following are a couple of suggestions from family relationship experts.

1. Maintain A Good Perspective On What Is Important

Sibling rivalry can increase stress levels noticeably for everybody, including your parents. Health and Houston caregivers issues that are associated with aging already have the potential to increase stress levels, but when sibling rivalry is added to the mix it can raise levels of toxicity even more.

Your sibling fights can potentially become another health problems for the very individual you are trying to help!

Try to take a step back and remember what is most important and what is at stake: the safety and health of your parent. When you stop to do that it may make it easier for you to resolve the problems you are having with your siblings.

2. Realize That Stakes Are Also High In Other Ways

AARP clinical psychologist and family therapist Barry J. Jacobs, states that the way people behave during the caregiving process remains with you all of your life. So those years of caregiving may set the tone for the way you get along with your siblings long after your parent has passed.

3. Keep Your Communication Open

When there are strong emotions involved it can be hard to keep communication open and clear. It is also very difficult to keep everybody informed when you have siblings living all across the country. You need to make your best effort to keep in touch since poor communication can make relations tense.

In these types of situations, one of the biggest complaints is that one sibling will feel disrespected or hurt when they discover that a decision has been made without their input. Frequently, medical conditions may suddenly arise, and somebody may forget to inform a sibling that lives far away.

To help avoid these kinds of potential family conflicts, plan for better communication.

4. Do Some Planning To Be Proactive

A small bit of planning can really go a long way. The best time to discuss caregiving responsibilities and roles before there is a major crisis. The most effective way to ensure that there is a good collaboration between sibling is decide which caregiving roles, if any, should be outsourced and divide up tasks and responsibilities between siblings ahead of time.

It is also essential to plan the financial aspects of your family caregiving. Financial factors associated with caregiving can potentially be a major source of conflict among siblings. Make sure to discuss and plan this aspect of caregiving with your siblings.

Consider Getting Help For Your Caregiving

Whenever an issue arises that none of your family members feel confident in handling, you should consider getting outside help. Assisting Hands Houston is able to help with issues such as how senior living can be financed or assisting when the main caregiver is going on vacation.

Give us a call today or contact us to learn about what Houston caregivers services we offer for short-term visitors or speak with one of our residents at Assisting Hands Houston to find out how they enjoy being a full-time resident with an Assisting Hands Houston caregiver.