Caregiving is a team sport. We pulled together a playbook designed to keep Dad in the game longer, making sure everyone knows who’s on the roster and what position they’re playing. Not sure how you got drafted as team captain? Ask your brother. He’s around somewhere, probably working his way through the good snacks.

Only child? You’re the QB, defensive line, and the reason your parents felt like they won the Super Bowl the first time they stepped on the field. Same rules apply, you just don’t have to worry about tackling your sister on the way to the doctor. 

🎬 Chris Hemsworth opened up about why he hesitated to share his Alzheimer’s risk publicly.

🤝 A man who stepped in as a veteran’s caregiver developed an unexpected, heartwarming friendship along the way.

💸 A new Cost of Care Report shows the price of caregiving keeps rising, from in-home help to child and senior care.

💔 Today show host, Savannah Guthrie’s 84-year old mom, Nancy Guthrie, was taken from her AZ home and remains missing.

Before kickoff, huddle up. Sit down, or hop on a family FaceTime, and ask Dad what kind of backup he actually wants, and where he’d rather keep the ball in his hands. Don’t confuse age with incompetence. He’s been reading defenses longer than you’ve been alive. This is where you and your sister show up as teammates, not coaches.

And if your brother wants to sit this one out? Don’t call a flag on this play. Park it for later and get specific about what help is realistic: a weekly pharmacy run, paperwork, a benefits call, a check-in text, or handling Sunday dinner drop-off.

Run the Game Tape: Review the Details
Start a shared summary doc: meds, doctors, allergies, diagnoses, insurance, and emergency contacts. It matters because in the two-minute drill (ER visit), nobody has time for guesswork or paperwork. There’s digital collaboration tools that make this easier if you’re a tech forward team.

Red Zone Paperwork: Health Care Proxy, Durable Financial Power of Attorney, and Advanced Directive
Consider a health care proxy/surrogate (often referred to as a durable medical power of attorney or POA) Dad’s backup QB, naming who can make decisions if he can’t. Hospitals need a clear decision-maker when consent gets unclear so he’ll want this in his playbook.  

A durable POA for finances allows you to pay Dad’s bills, manage his accounts, and handle his benefits. It matters because banks don’t accept “but he’s my dad” as documentation. The word durable is the key, it means the authority survives incapacity.

An advance directive spells out care preferences and translates wishes into medical orders. When motions are running the clock, this can take some of the pressure off. 

Clock Management: Benefits Check
Do a yearly review of Medicare and/or Medicare Advantage plan choices and long-term care strategies. Small plan changes can mean thousands in out-of-pocket costs for Dad if he’s not careful.

Flag on the Play: Home Safety Walkthrough
Look for fall risks, driving concerns, medication confusion, and kitchen hazards, then fix the easy stuff first (lighting, grab bars, pill organizers). Prevention is cheaper than rehab.

If Dementia Is Suspected: Call a Time-Out
If you’re seeing missed bills, repeated questions, or medication mix-ups, consider asking his doctor for a cognitive evaluation and tightening the care-team communication. Consent and decision-making ability can change gradually, which makes driving, medication routines, and financial access higher-stakes sooner than most families expect. Bringing in the right specialists, a geriatrician or neurologist, plus an attorney who handles the documents, can help protect Dad’s safety and choices without turning every conversation into a crisis.

Your Special Teams Lineup

Helpful care-focused finds we’ve identified and researched so you don’t have to. 

Tendercare is a free app that helps family caregivers organize essential information, store documents securely, manage tasks, and coordinate care with siblings. 

Added bonus, it connects families to a curated directory of thoroughly vetted eldercare professionals across 14+ service categories and it’s this provider network that foots the bill. Tendercare keeps Mom’s data safe and doesn’t take a cut of provider fees. Available on iOS and Android. 

You said it. This week’s submissions.

“I'm trying to support my parents from 1000 miles away and it feels impossible.”

“The daily personal sacrifice while managing complaints. Thankful for some gratitude when given.”

“I'm tired of it being my entire identity.” 

“I looked through my dad's search history and wish I hadn't.”

“Mom told me she felt hip when borrowing my reading glasses at the restaurant.”