You live a typically busy “sandwich generation” life with your spouse and children, visiting your aging parents if and when the opportunity arises, and that has worked out fine – until the hospital calls in the middle of the night to say that your Mom in rural Manitoba has fallen and been hospitalized. What do you do? Where do you turn?

For many adult children, the responsibility to organize care from a distance when their older relatives need help falls on their shoulders. The task can be difficult, stressful, and time consuming. Many people say they need to learn about a whole new world they didn’t know existed – let’s call it “caregiver land”. Options need to be researched, decisions need to be made and appointments booked. 

Can you deal with the problem over the phone or do you need to be there in person? You may try to manage the care from a distance, travelling when really needed, and struggling to balance your own home life with new caregiving responsibilities. Long distance caregivers often feel frustrated and helpless when trying to access needed services from afar.

To make your life easier we’ve put together 5 of our most helpful tips to manage long distance caregiving:

1. Consider hiring a Geriatric Care Manager whose expertise costs money, but relieves a huge time and energy burden as they help you in making difficult decisions.
2. Ask for help from local clergy, home-visiting services, meals on wheels and other community organizations.
3. Arrange for homecare so you know their needs are well covered – meals, transportation to doctor’s visits and rehab appointments, medication reminders, assistance with hygiene, shopping and a line of communication you can trust. 
4. Be prepared for emergencies with a plan of action ready and documents in place.  In other words, be proactive!
5. Set aside your guilt.  If your aging parent wants to remain at home or farther away from where you live, that is their choice and compromises will be needed from you both.

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