Long Distance Care Provider-Create a Circle of Support for Your family member and you

Put yourself the locals’ radar -create a Circle of Care for your long distance family member and yourself. Tap into and capture your loved one’s informal social network. Search out neighbors who know your relative well or see them on a regular basis. Find old friends, with longstanding relationships, new acquaintances, folks in social groups, like church or senior groups. Talk to the people your loved one sees frequently, such as clergy or a housekeeper who comes often. Gather all the informal local resources that socially play a role in the elder’s life.  Let each know that you are a caregiver for your relative. Add these with contacts information to a web-based source where you can store all the information such as Caregiving From Distance family folder .

If you can –, meet with all these social contacts. If you are strapped for time or overwhelmed by traveling and caregiving and just cannot do this during your visit, do it when you get home. You are creating a Circle of Support for your long distance relative and you the long distance care provider. This is hard work and high stress and “ it takes a village”.

When you meet e-mail or call, ask if they would be part of their circle of support. Get all their contact information. Give yours. If they are willing to be involved in socialization- dinner, activities, or check-ins, add them all to a web site like Lots of Helping Hands 

Ask informal network folks you have located,  if they might be willing contact you on a regular basis—weekly, monthly and report what they found. This gives you a way of monitoring your relative through a person who has frequent access.

You have  also created an emergency support system of people who can come through in a crisis.

If this seems like an exhausting task, consider hiring a geriatric care manager,  who can do all this and more . This professional can engage in social networks, formal and informal, and create that circle of support for you and  really lighten your load that a long distance care provider carries.