Sibling Rivalry and Caring for Elderly Parents

Posted on February 10, 2010 by Hull and Hull LLP

In her new book, They're Your Parents, Too!: How Siblings Can Survive Their Parents' Aging Without Driving Each Other Crazy, journalist Francine Russo writes about a difficult stage of life: the “twilight transition” when boomer-aged siblings reunite to care for aging parents. This period is laden with new challenges – dividing assets, dementia, caregiving issues - and has the potential to inflame old sibling rivalries as adult siblings deal with the end of their first family and take over their parents’ place as the decision-making generation. As noted by Ms. Russo in a recent interview with The Globe and Mail: “There’s a huge re-emergence of sibling rivalry over parents because when we see that our parents’ time is limited, all the unmet needs we’ve had resurface: to be loved, approved of, forgiven….”

In her book, Ms. Russo interviewed siblings, gerontologists, family therapists, elder-care attorneys, financial planners, and health workers to offer practical advice on such topics as:

-          the negotiation of caregiving issues and dealing with unequal contributions or power struggles;

-          the making of major medical and financial decisions, when parents cannot;

-          how to cope with unresolved childhood rivalries and hurts; and

-          tips for avoiding conflict.

Click here to read Ms. Russo’s interview in Monday’s edition of The Globe and Mail.

Bianca La Neve

Bianca V. La Neve - Click here for more information on Bianca La Neve.

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Polypharmacy and Seniors

Posted on August 10, 2009 by Hull and Hull LLP

Polypharmacy refers to the taking of multiple drugs by a single patient. As more and more drugs are introduced on the market that address the diseases and chronic conditions associated with aging, it is no surprise that it is the elderly who are most affected by polypharmacy. According to a Toronto Star article that appeared as part of their 2008 Atkinson Series, 23% of seniors over the age of 65 take at least five drugs, while 12% are taking 10 or more drugs. Generally, these individuals are seeing more than one specialist for more than one ailment and the issue is simply a lack of oversight in order to keep the ‘larger picture’ in view.

Delving deeper, however, USA Today cited a report by the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention that 17% of Americans over the age of 60 are abusing prescription drugs. In such instances of substance abuse, it is not unusual for the individual to visit numerous physicians ('doctor shopping') and process their prescriptions through a variety of pharmacies in order to hide the abuse. Particularly addictive drugs in the elderly population are the benzodiazepines (prescribed for anxiety and insomnia) and narcotic painkillers. Risk factors include a prior history of alcoholism or substance abuse. The effects of prescription abuse include confusion, memory impairment and an increased incidence of falls. In 1995, the Canadian Medical Association Journal reported that the doctors who wrote the most prescriptions also had the highest death rates amongst their patients.

So where does one draw the line between prescription use and prescription abuse? When a drug is used for a non-prescribed purpose or when use increases beyond the prescribed dose, then addiction is an issue. If you have a concern about an aging relative, stay connected and informed and periodically check for drug compliance (this is as simple as looking at the fill date and counting the number of pills thus far consumed). Assess alternatives (a pain management specialist, perhaps) and if necessary, express your concerns to the prescribing physician.

 

Jennifer Hartman, Guest Blogger

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