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Family Dynamics

• Interview - Talking With Barbara McVicker: Caregiving in a Dysfunctional Family

  Stuck in the Middle: Shared Stories and Tips for Caregiving Your Elderly Parents coauthor Barbara McVicker on caregiving in a dysfunctional family.

Blog Posts

• Blog Post - I took the brunt of my dad's nastiness my whole life. Now I am his caretaker and I resent it.

  My dad has been a handful all his life -- prone to...

Questions & Answers

• Question - My brother and I are adults, but when it comes to taking care of my mother, we fall right back into the roles we had as children.

  ideas for how to handle sibling rivalries and misunderstandings between sibling caregivers

• Question - How can I help my mother with the stress of caring for my grandmother?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Do I have any legal rights over my sister who is an alcoholic and neglects to eat or take her medicine for her Type 1 diabetes?

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - How can I get my 85 year old father to stop yelling at my mom?

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - How do I help deal with the frustration I feel with my siblings over our mother's care?

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - What if your mom is abusive should you have her move in...

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - How do I get my dad to share the responsibility of making decisions about my mother's healthcare with me?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - How do I get my husband to cope with his father's Alzheimer's diagnosis?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - How can I deal with my increasingly embarrassing mother in public?

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - How do I help my mother, who is being physically threatened by my father and refuses help?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - How do I monitor a caretaker's effectiveness?

  Formal legal arrangements such as powers of attorney or conservatorships may help ensure the best care for an aging relative. If not, the local Adult Protective Services agency may be able to help.

• Question - How do we deal with my father who has heart failure who wants to travel and expects only family to care for him?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - How do I cope with an aging parent living in my home?

  Since my mother came to live with me, our relationship has gone down hill and my home feels like a prison.

• Question - How do find time for your own privacy when living with and elderly parent?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - Can I get information on my father's condition even though my mother has instructed against it?

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - How can I ensure that my domestic partner will be empowered to handle my medical care and financial decisions?

  To be sure your family is clear about your domestic partner's role in handling your property and medical care, be sure to reinforce those wishes now.

• Question - If I have durable power of attorney for my father, can I stop him from giving money to a relative who is taking advantage of him?

  Unanswered. Can you help?