When a loved one requires care, the responsibility often falls on family and friends to step up and help. Often, it can fall on just one person who needs to rally others to assist, especially when career and one’s own family also require your full attention.
Coordinating a caregiving team or group of individual friends and family caregivers is important. It takes a village whether it be a friend, child, parent or elderly relative. It is difficult for one person to solely be relied upon especially when it takes away from their life or livelihood. This is why tapping your network of neighbors, friends, family and community can reduce stress, ensure that your loved one is well taken care of and gets additional opportunities to socialize with others.
By approaching this task thoughtfully, you can create a supportive network that ensures your loved one gets the care they need without overwhelming any one individual, who also needs to be aware of their own well-being.
Here are some practical tips for organizing family and friends as caregivers:
1. Create an Environment for Open Communication
Before jumping into logistics, gather family and close friends for an open conversation. Discuss with your loved one, potential caregivers and doctors:
Your loved one’s specific care needs (e.g., medical appointments, meal prep, companionship).
Be prepared to ask each person about their availability, strengths, and willingness to help.
Prepare for emotional challenges or concerns about caregiving from individuals.
Make sure that you talk openly about these things. The last thing you want is someone committing and then changing their minds, leaving you to pick up their tasks.
Encourage everyone to share their thoughts so you can work together to create a realistic plan.
2. Build a List of Potential Group Members
First take note of the people who live nearby your loved one, are involved daily (i.e. a teacher or neighbor), friends and family. Invite them to participate in care by sharing specifically what kind of help is needed.
Second, check out any organizations that your loved one is involved with such as a church or book club and inquire if anyone is able and interested to help by visiting, assisting with meal delivery or going to appointments.
Spreading out responsibilities can seem more overwhelming by managing a group, but it can ultimately offer some relief on a primary caregiver.
Finally, be prepared for people to say no. There are a variety of reasons they may say no, and you have to respect it over guilting them into still participating. This can create resentment.
3. Define Roles and Responsibilities
Once everyone has agreed to help, outline specific roles. For example:
Primary caregiver: Manages daily care and communication and oversees the schedule.
Financial coordinator: Handles bills, insurance claims, and budgeting.
Meal planner: Prepares meals or arranges delivery.
Companion: Provides emotional support and social interaction.
Transportation: Those who have the availability during the day to assist with getting your loved one to appointments.
Assign roles based on individual strengths and preferences. Someone who enjoys cooking might take on meal prep, while a more organized person could manage appointments. Be open to what tasks people would like to participate in.
4. Use Technology to Stay Organized
Caregiving apps and tools can simplify communication and coordination. For example:
Use a shared calendar (Google Calendar or apps like Watch Our Own) to schedule tasks and shifts.
Create a group chat for quick updates or coordinate in app.
Track medical information, medications, and appointments in a central document or app so everyone is aware of in case a situation arises, and they need to know. Even better, make it easy to access from a smart phone.
Get notifications for missed tasks or fall detection. In case you cannot get there, others will be alerted as well allowing the opportunity for someone to get their faster.
These tools help everyone stay on the same page, even when schedules get busy. They also allow for live changes to tasks, calendar or routines so everyone is in the loop.
5. Set a Realistic Schedule
Not everyone can commit to the same level of involvement. If possible, create a caregiving schedule that factors in:
Work, vacations, holidays and personal commitments.
Physical proximity to the loved one.
Energy levels and emotional capacity.
Again, also allows for flexibility for any last minute conflicts that can happen with anyone in your caregiver group.
Rotate responsibilities to prevent burnout. Even small contributions, like running errands or making phone calls, can make a big difference.
5. Hold Regular Check-Ins
Caregiving needs often evolve. Schedule regular check-ins with the caregiving team to:
Update each other on the loved one’s condition.
Address any challenges or changes in responsibilities.
Celebrate successes and support each other emotionally.
Share how each other is feeling, including the primary caregiver.
These meetings ensure everyone feels heard and valued as being a family caregiver or caregiver to a loved one of any relation can be stressful.
6. Know When to Ask for Help
Sometimes, even the best-organized caregiving teams need extra support. Thanks to the recognition by many groups and organizations for the need of family caregiver support. It has become easier for family caregivers to discover valuable communities and resources, with a specific growth of groups on social media. Don’t hesitate to:
Hire professional caregivers for specialized tasks. While skilled nurses can charge more, because they can administer medications, check pulse and blood pressure and more, companions are able to keep loved ones in routine, remind them to take medicine, run errands and provide socialization a few hours day.
Look into respite care options to give the team a break.
Reach out to national, regional and community resources or online support groups for advice and encouragement.
Final Thoughts
Finding, asking and organizing family and friends as caregivers requires clear communication, understanding, teamwork and flexibility. By building a strong caregiving network, you can ensure your loved one receives the best possible care while sharing the responsibility among many hands.
Remember: No one has to do it alone. Together, you can create a supportive system that makes caregiving a manageable and meaningful experience.
Do you need help getting started? Consider using a caregiving app like Watch Our Own to streamline communication and scheduling for your caregiving team!
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