What Strategies Can Help You Get More Help from Family Members?
August 7, 2018
One of the biggest issues for family caregivers is often getting help from other family members when they really need it. If that's an issue for you, these tips can help.
Elder Care in Belmont CA: Getting More Help from Family Members
Plan Some Things Out First.
Before you can expect to truly get the help that you need, you'll need to make sure you know what you need and want. Make a list of specific tasks and anything associated with them. You might also want to make a list of the family members who might be able to help you.
Talk to Them One at a Time.
If you're planning on ambushing everyone at the next family dinner, rethink that plan. It's a much better idea to talk to individual family members one at a time. Otherwise, they're likely to feel put on the spot and you might end up guilting them into helping even if they really can't. That's not what you want, ultimately. You want them to help because they can and because they want to.
Get Specific.
Asking for general help is not going to get you what you want. Instead, you need to get specific with the people you're asking for help. If it's a time-dependent question, you need to include that information. Anything that can help your family member to decide if she can help or not is vital.
Give Them Detailed Instructions.
When you've found someone who is able to help, give them detailed instructions to help them complete the task. Your senior's routine, her doctor's contact information, a detailed list of items you need, and anything else you can think of could all be included as part of the instructions. You want to ensure that the person helping you has as much information as possible.
Shrug Off a "No."
But what happens if you go through all this work and then the person says "no"? Shrug it off. You're much better off getting help from sources like elder care providers if your family members aren't able to help. They'll help when they can and that's the important part.
This can take some practice on your part. It's not easy to ask other family members for help and it's really not easy to ensure that they're doing exactly what your elderly family member needs them to do. As you do this more often, it becomes easier for you and for the family members who are able to help out.