Are You Getting Unsolicited Advice from Well-meaning Family?

It can be really frustrating as a caregiver to get tons of advice from family members that you didn’t ask for or expect to receive. It’s even more frustrating when that advice completely overlooks things that you’ve already tried for your elderly family member. Usually this advice isn’t mean-spirited, it’s just uninformed. These ideas can help.

Their Perspective Is Markedly Different from Yours

Caregiver Holdingford, MN: Caregiver Advice

Some people find that it’s no big deal to offer advice on a situation that they don’t fully understand. From the outside looking in, their perspective is very different from the one that you have as your senior’s caregiver. As a result, they don’t understand everything that you and your aging family member have gone through to get to where you are today. It can be incredibly difficult to get some family members to understand why you’re doing some of the things that you’re doing.

They’ve Given Advice; Ask Them for Help
It’s great that your other family members want to be involved. In fact, maybe they could be even more involved. Once they’ve offered advice that doesn’t help, ask them if they’re willing to tackle some aspect of what they’re suggesting. You may find very quickly that they only wanted to offer you advice. But in the best-case scenario, you may get some additional help from family members and that can be a fantastic thing.

Set up Some Regular Family Meetings
Regular family meetings are an excellent way to make sure that everyone is on the same page about your senior’s health and any concerns that involve her. It can be difficult to get some family members on board with these types of meetings, though. Other family members might tell you that they don’t have time or that meetings interfere with other aspects of their lives. You can often get around this by sending a “newsletter” of sorts to everyone. You may find that as you inform your other family members more and more about what’s going on, they don’t offer as much advice. They may also start to see how much you do and try to find ways to help.

Remember that unsolicited advice from other family members doesn’t mean that you’re a bad caregiver. In fact, you’re probably doing way better than you think you are. Give yourself some grace and allow their words to pass you by, especially if the advice is inaccurate.

Excerpt: Sometimes caregivers find that family members like to offer advice in lieu of help.

If you or an aging loved-one are considering a Caregiver in Holdingford, MN, please contact the caring staff at Alternative Senior Care today. Providing Home Care in Central Minnesota and Surrounding Communities. Call us Today (320) 352-3350.