If you share caregiving responsibilities with a sibling, another family member, or friend, it is not uncommon to experience occasional or frequent disagreements about how to handle care and divide the caregiving tasks. Disagreements can arise concerning the loved ones care level, scheduling, medication management, financial decisions, and other important matters.
Keep in mind providing care can be emotionally challenging and many caregivers experience feelings of stress, guilt, resentment, and frustration, which can lead to conflicts. Each person may have different ideas or expectations to the caregiving situation and, without clarity, it can lead to misunderstandings and conflicts.
One way you can avoid conflict is to work to be on the same page. Hold a meeting, virtually or in person, to discuss and create a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for your loved one. This would be a set of guidelines or protocols that outline the specific tasks and responsibilities involved. Address issues such as daily routines, medication management, medical appointments, and emergency procedures. Define roles and responsibilities, and distribute tasks based on individual capabilities, availability, and preferences. This can help prevent misunderstandings and ensure everyone understands their contributions.
Consider holding regular meetings, either in person or virtually, to review and update the SOP, as needed. These meetings provide an opportunity to address any new challenges or concerns that have arisen and make modifications to accommodate changing circumstances or the care recipient’s evolving needs. It may be helpful to assign someone to take simple notes during these meetings for future reference. Consider building your SOP in a shared document such as Google Docs which allows access for everyone from anywhere using any device.
Above all, maintain an open line of communication with all individuals involved in providing caregiving duties. By establishing an SOP and having regular communication and review meetings, you can hopefully minimize conflicts among caregivers. Engaging in arguments only complicates matters and makes the entire process more challenging instead of achieving the desired effect, which is to ease the burden for all parties involved. Be open, honest, and transparent at all times, and respect and listen to the opinions of others.
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