Sometimes adult children of seniors who don’t live nearby wonder how they can help with their parent’s care. They may even feel guilty that they are not able to provide hands-on care the way other family caregivers do. However, there are plenty of things long-distance caregivers can do to support the care of the older adult and assist other family caregivers. Below are 5 ways to be a caregiver even if you live far away.
#1: Organize the Care Calendar
If your parent has multiple caregivers, it can be time-consuming to create a weekly or monthly schedule to ensure they get the care they need. A long-distance caregiver can coordinate with other family caregivers to fill in slots on the calendar. The calendar can be shared via email or by giving all caregivers access to an online calendar.
#2: Call Your Parent Frequently
Emotional support is equally as important as hands-on care. By calling your parent frequently, you can keep tabs on their emotional state and remind them that they are important to you. You may even pick up on things that other family caregivers don’t because they are busy with the more routine aspects of care.
#3: Schedule Medical Appointments
Some caregivers spend hours each month on the phone scheduling medical appointments for their aging relatives. But, you don’t have to live nearby to make phone calls. Just make sure you know what times and dates work for other caregivers to take them to the appointments.
#4: Handle Finances
Most financial tasks can be handled online these days. Ask your parent to give you access to their financial accounts so that you can pay their bills and keep an eye on their finances. Long-distance caregivers can also watch accounts for strange charges that may signal fraud.
#5: Hire Home Care
If your parent doesn’t have people nearby who can assist them or if family caregivers who live close by are struggling to keep up, you can help from a distance by hiring home care. Home care providers can be scheduled to fill in times on the care calendar when family caregivers are not available. They can do nearly everything that family members can do for your parent. Home care can clean the house, help with grocery shopping, and make meals. They can also simply provide companionship and be the person who checks in on your parent to make sure they are alright. Or, if your parent needs a higher level of care, home care can also help with things like dressing, eating, bathing, and toileting
