Mary Alexandria: Hi! I am Mary Alexander from Home Instead Senior Care. Today, I am discussing some recommendations and resources to help siblings cope with the demands of family care giving.

First, let's talk briefly about avoiding family feuds. Anyone who is cared for a senior loved one knows that problems working with siblings can lead to family strife. The first thing to remember is to listen then talk. Sit down with your siblings; listen to their questions and concerns and begin to list the resources that your family will need through this journey.

Schedule a meeting or a conference call to talk things out. It's important to remain in regular communication with your brothers and sisters to avoid miscommunication and hard feelings. Second, make decisions together. Working together to divide up the work load is key to overcoming family conflict.

Seniors needs change as they age. So do the lives of you and your siblings. Caring.

com advices that rather than insist that all of the care giving tasks are divided equally, consider a division of labor that takes into account, each family member's interest and skills as well as their availability. Planning and flexibility are also important for caregiver's success. As parents age, the need for care and assistance increases, as a result, you will need to adapt your plan and division of the workload. If you have hired a home care company for example, more hours may gradually be needed to keep your loved ones safe and happy.

Now, what do you do if you are already experiencing sibling disagreements over care giving responsibilities? Well, fortunately there is help available. At the core of the 50-50 rule, which refers to average age 50 when siblings are caring for their parents as well as the need for brothers and sisters to equitably share the care planning, is a family relationship and communication guide, and a website solvingfamilyconflict.

com.

Both feature practical advice and the wealth of real life scenarios and expert responses. There are also many research organizations and resources available to help family caregivers learn about their options. Work together to decide who will handle this job or try to divide the tasks so everyone has the opportunity to learn and share ideas. A good place to start is by doing online research on websites such as eldercare.

gov or caring.

com. Resources in your communities such as agencies on aging, your parent's doctor or a geriatric care manager can be of assistance as well. Taking care of aging family members can be a tough job and the stakes are high. Your sibling relationships and the quality of your parents care are at risk. But with new approaches and a focus on building better family relationships, care giving can make family stronger than ever.