Our mom was the heart and soul of our family, managing everything from finances to household chores. When she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, stepping into caregiving roles was daunting. It took time, but we found a system that works by assigning roles that play to each of our strengths. Each of us leads in our area but gets support from the others when needed.
Here are the roles our family needed:
- Medical Advocate: Attends doctor appointments, keeps doctors informed, schedules appointments and tests, manages health insurance, etc.
- Financial Manager: Pays the bills, etc.
- Nutrition Coordinator: Prepares meals and ensures they are nutrient-dense.
- Self-Care Coordinator: Buys clothes and toiletries, arranges haircuts, etc.
- Household Manager: Keeps the house clean, does laundry, etc.
- Exercise Buddy: Ensures regular walks and weight training sessions.
- Emotional & Social Support Team: Provides emotional support and engages in social activities.
Our Caregiving Team
Family and Friends Involvement
The emotional and social support team consists of family and friends. We encourage our family and friends to support our mom in ways that work for them. Here are some of the ways they maintain their relationship with her:
- Mom’s childhood friend: Calls weekly to chat and reminisce.
- Cousin Maureen: Bakes Christmas cookies with Mom.
- Mom’s brothers (when they were alive): Video-called from Trinidad to chat.
- Other friends: Take walks, do puzzles, and arrange flowers with her.
Putting It All Together
This division of roles has made caregiving more manageable and personalized. By playing to our strengths and involving friends and family, we’ve created a support network that truly works for us. We hope sharing our approach can help you organize your caregiving team in a supportive and effective way.
Take care!
After our mom’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis, our family divided caregiving roles to play to our strengths and create a supportive network. Kim handles medical, financial, and self-care tasks; Kevin manages tech and nutrition; Sucre oversees household chores and exercise. Family and friends also provide emotional and social support. This approach has made caregiving more manageable and personalized, helping us care for Mom with love and teamwork.
