What you can do from a distance

You can do a number of tasks from a distance that may support your parent or other care recipient, the primary caregiver, and professionals. These include:

• Educating yourself. Do your own research about any relevant illness so that you can better understand the course of the disease, treatment options and typical care needs.
• Researching services. Do online research and make phone calls to learn about in-home care services, daytime services for adults and respite services that provide breaks for primary caregivers. Contact the local Area Agency on Aging for help finding local resources.
• Managing insurance. Manage the calls or correspondence necessary for managing medical bills and insurance claims.
• Paying bills. Have regular bills forwarded to you or manage them online.
• Researching care facilities. Research assisted living or nursing care facilities to plan for future care needs.
• Organizing conference calls. Plan regular conference calls with the family or other relevant care providers to discuss changes in needs. Organize family calls with the doctor, social worker or other professionals.
• Providing emotional support. Make yourself available to a primary caregiver, listen to concerns and frustrations, and ask what you can do to be supportive.
• Staying in touch. Write, call or send video messages to stay in contact as much as possible with the care recipient.
• Visiting. Visit as often as you can to spend time with the family member receiving care and to give the primary caregiver time away. Inquire about taking unpaid leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act.