Extended family and friends

This is the time to put your loved one’s needs first and be available when it’s best for them. Play off of social cues and seek direction from the people who have been most prominently involved with the care of your loved one throughout their journey. It’s a fine line between ensuring your loved one knows that you care and forcing yourself into situations that are inappropriate and unwanted. No matter your relationship to the person, if you are not the immediate caregiver or have not been directly involved in their journey there’s a lot to learn.

Clashing caregivers

Sometimes when there are multiple people caring for someone, there may be some conflict between the caregivers. The friction could be over who does what and what is best for the loved one. The caregivers might take things out on each other without realizing it since they are both trying to protect their loved one from their frustrations. Building a team is an important element so that one person does not bear all the work. Divide and conquer the responsibilities. Know that if a clash happens, it’s okay and bound to happen at some point, given the pressure of the situation. Just remember that you are on the same team, and it is best for everyone involved to work together.

Try to

• Remain calm in all interactions, thinking before speaking

• Not put your loved one in the middle

• Prevent adding any additional stress to the situation

• Have an open dialogue with each other to help facilitate teamwork • Reassign separate tasks if necessary