4 tips for caring for aging parents from a distance Everything is fine—and then it happens. You get a call in the middle of the night to say that your older parent who is 3,000 kms away has fallen and is in the hospital. Or, your mother, who lives across the province, calls you to say she can no longer cope with your father’s illness. Many adult children take responsibility to care for their older parents and other relatives, even when they living in different cities, provinces, or even countries. This poses a number of challenges for the children and the parents.
We’ve developed some tips that will help alleviate the stress and worry that comes with caring for parents from a distance. 1. Arrange help Speak with your parent or parents and determine what they need help with. You may receive some resistance, because it’s not easy to accept the need for help, especially from family members who are not able to visit often. Once you have determined what type of help you need, seek out resources in their community, things like: In-home care Day programs Cleaning services Meals delivery