Your Siblings Geraldine's family problem is a common one. A recent National Family Caregivers Association survey found that 76 percent of family caregivers do not receive consistent help from other family members. This struggle seeps into even the closest of families. Through this work, she has identified many reasons why siblings don't get involved.
Some people can continue to take on and give, and that's been their role in the family.
Others have different identities, styles and personalities, and they can't do it. There also may be a sibling with a spouse who's extremely jealous or ungenerous and who restricts the availability of the sibling. MacLeod finds some adult children cannot face a parent's increasing frailty. They may be holding onto an image that Dad's still head of the family, a tough guy. Along with denial of changes, is the fear of disability and of dependency in a loved one.