How to Provide Care When You Can't be There

Written by Karen A. Miller, CFP®, CPFA on 03 December 2020.

Women helping women

COVID-19 has changed a lot of things in our lives—and the lives of our loved ones. And though there is hope now that vaccines will be ready soon, it will still be a while before they are widely available. So, while you need to be prepared to spend some more time caring for yourself and the loved ones in your house, you may also want to continue supporting parents or other elderly loved ones who don’t live with you. Here are a few ways you can do that.

Help them stay social and active

If they aren’t already familiar with FaceTime, Zoom or any other video calling apps, try to teach them. It’s easy to teach even over the phone. Once they’ve mastered this, it can be a lot easier to keep them social. You can:

Host game nights or happy hours with family on a regular basis
Encourage them to sign up for online support groups
Help them find an online class they’d like to do

You can also go old school and have your family and friends send them cards, letters and pictures once in a while. You can also consider giving them a project to do. Many of the sip and paint places have created painting from home kits where they send the materials and then you attend the Zoom class at a specific time. There are also a number of places creating things like chunky knit blanket kits and classes if dexterity is an issue.

Make sure they have the care they need

If you cannot be there to help them, there are a number of ways you can still provide care. You can:

Hire someone to check on them or to provide nursing assistance if needed
Schedule regular grocery, pharmacy, and household good deliveries
If they’re not feeling well, encourage them to call their doctor and, if needed, send an Uber to help them get where they may need to go

And if you are able to visit them, wear a mask—for their protection and yours—and consider staying at a hotel. If that’s not possible, just try to be as safe as possible.

Gasber Financial is here to help you make confident decisions during even the most stressful of life’s transitions. Please call for more information or with any questions you may have.