Long-distance caregiving might be the best way for you to do all that you need to do, but it can feel frustrating. Having an overall plan for what you’re doing can help immensely.
Develop a Communication Plan
When you’ve got a plan for communicating with your senior, you’re both going to feel more secure in general. Set aside some time to talk with your elderly family member about how often you need to connect with her. There may be a variety of ways you want to do this, such as talking on the phone a set number of times per week, touching base via email daily, or video conferencing if that’s easier for you both. Understanding what you each expect is a crucial part of this plan.
Put Together a Series of Procedures
Processes and procedures help you and your senior to cope when something isn’t going well and it also helps when things are running smoothly. Your communication plan is just one example of a procedure. You might also outline a plan for what happens if your senior doesn’t feel well. Does she go to her doctor and then let you know what happened, or do you prefer to know she’s headed to her doctor before she goes? It might sound complicated, but these procedures help you both again to know what to expect and to keep each other in the loop.
Visit When You Can
Depending on how far away you are, a visit might be something you can only do once a year. When you do have the opportunity to visit, take it. You can spot situations in person that you may not have even thought to talk about from far away. You may also be able to do things during these trips like meet your senior’s friends and neighbors or go with her to a routine doctor’s visit.
Use the Time You Have Together Wisely
As you are able to spend time in person with your senior, do what you can to make that visit productive, but don’t focus only on caregiving. This is a prime opportunity to connect with your senior in as many ways, big and small, as you can. Handle paperwork that needs to be signed or otherwise dealt with, but don’t forget to spend time just enjoying your senior’s company when you can.