The blended family can be a beautiful thing, however, when it comes to aging there are many additional complications in choosing a support system. Today, blended families are making up more and more of the aging demographic. According to a survey of nearly 3,000 people by Pew Research Center, 42% of surveyees reported having at least one step-relative. This creates unique challenges in all parts of life, especially when one or both parents begin to struggle with aging. Caregiving can present certain difficulties, however, there are advantages to be found as well.
The Blended Family and Advantages of Them
Caregiving with Step-Siblings
Though it may appear at first that having more parents will mean more caregiving responsibilities, this is not always the case. Often blended families mean more siblings to divide responsibilities among. When coordinating care in a blended family, adults can work with siblings and step-siblings to share the load based on availability and skill set. However, coordinating can certainly be challenging especially since the greatest burden usually falls on one person. However, there are a few ways adult children can share the challenges.
Making sure everyone is kept up to date on a parent’s condition is a very important aspect of caregiving. This can include what to expect, requests for help, and tasks needed to be accomplished. To help keep everyone on the same page, try:
- Apps. Create a free account with an app like CaringBridge that everyone involved in care can use to connect with one another.
- Virtual Meetings. When important decisions need to be made, especially with those living out of state, it helps to have a virtual meeting to keep everyone on the same page. Zoom and Google Meet are popular options for this purpose.
- Checklists. These are always helpful with collaborative initiatives, but especially when it comes to responsibilities between parties. A checklist can help reduce friction and bring all people together for the single purpose of care.
Caregiving With Step-Parents
One common issue in blended families is differences in personality, politics, and religion which can require extra patience and understanding. Facing the challenges of caregiving can worsen existing relationships between adult children and step-parents. Whether you are tasked with caring for a step-parent or navigating care for a biological parent with the help of a step-parent, it is important to plan ahead to avoid conflict.
Planning for caregiving in advance can diffuse tensions in the blended family. This includes information on types of care, what to do in the event that your parent or step-parent can no longer stay at home, and how to handle the estate in the event of death.
The benefit here, once again, can be the number of people available to help. Step-parents and step-siblings might be willing to share the burden of planning.
Confident Living Can Help
The biggest hurdle when it comes to the blended family and decision-making is determining who is in control of the situation. Care Coordination can help substantially in this regard. A Care Coordinator is an experienced healthcare professional who is familiar with your parent’s health history. This results in them knowing which hospitals and doctors your parents prefer. So, when you need care or help, they are there for you. Care Coordination often includes:
- Advocacy
- Care Navigation
- Help keeping track of medical conditions and needs
The thing to remember is that the blended family offers you advantages that other families may not have.
Don’t let the future catch you off guard and start planning today with this FREE eBook, Plan the Future for You and Your Spouse’s Long-Term Care.
Confident Living is a continuing care at home membership program, focused on helping you remain active and independent as you age in your own home. We serve the greater Cincinnati area. For more information, contact us online or call (513) 719-3522.