One of the most difficult and stressful situations any family can go through is when an elderly loved one needs to be cared for. These situations can tear families apart when the perfect storm of cost, organization, responsibility and other issues that come with arranging for your aging relative’s care, all come together.

It’s important, in these times, to put aside any differences your family might have, become a team who is determined to do what’s best for everyone involved, and make your father, mother, grandfather, grandmother or other senior relative’s twilight years comfortable and happy. Read a number of major causes of family conflict regarding senior care issues, and how a qualified elder law attorney can be of assistance.

Disagreement Regarding Needs

Not everyone always agrees on what’s best for their parents; siblings can often have major arguments over whether a parent or loved one needs to go into a nursing home, whether at-home care will suffice, or even whether care is needed at home at all. When this happens, it’s often best to seek the services of an outside expert. Many nursing homes can perform assessments to determine whether additional care is needed.

Parents Don’t Want Care

This can be one of the most difficult situations a family can face. Your mom or dad values their independence more than anything and they resist any outside help. It’s far more common than you might realize for a parent to outright refuse going into a nursing home. Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of easy solutions to this.

You just need to try to make them understand that you’re trying to help them maintain a degree of independence while also making sure they’re safe. Many assisted living communities exist with a range of attractive and exciting opportunities, from craft groups to on-site shopping. Try taking them on a tour so they can see that they’re gaining something, rather than losing.

Control and Responsibility Issues

When it comes to handling your elder care needs, families often have problems with control and responsibility. Either one sibling does it all and the others don’t pull their weight, or one person takes control and won’t let the others help at all.

In these cases, siblings need to sit down and work out a set of responsibilities, who does what and when. Remember, too, that what’s important is that your parent’s needs are being met. If you can’t come to an agreement, it may be time to seek help.

Elder Law Attorneys

Sometimes, the worst case scenarios come to be. Either family members simply cannot agree on what’s best for their elderly parents, or your parent might encounter untoward or illegal circumstances in their home. Dealing with the scenario of elder care abuse, for example, is unfortunately too common, and requires expert legal help.

A qualified elder law attorney can be a sounding board, someone who is experienced with the various issues families face in these situations, and they can protect the rights of everyone involved. If you are facing difficulties with your elder parent’s needs, and would like help and advice, the attorneys at Stano Law are here to help. Read more about what we do and give us a call for a consultation today.