How to Insure that ALL the Siblings Survive Their Parents' Illnesses and the Changing Family Dynamics

Like others of our generation, we are members of a club we did not want to join. Through a stroke, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, our "greatest generation" parents were robbed mentally of their senior years and we became 'care-takers' before we realized it.

This is the story of two sisters, living 2,000 miles apart, and the strategies they found to cope during their 20+ years of their parents' illnesses, seven different care-homes and numerous hospitals in three different states!

As with any journey, of course, not everyone travels the same path at the same time and in the same way, but we hope you'll find solace and assistance in these pages to help you and your siblings live long, happy lives as family and friends after your parents are no longer around to referee.

The humor, examples, and practical advice in this book come from real-life experiences of loving but imperfect siblings. They made hundreds of mistakes they hope this book helps you avoid. They also made one important discovery: "family" is precious and fragile.

If you have siblings or other loved ones involved in your parents' (or other relatives') care, you probably should join the Society for the Prevention of Siblingcide (SPS). You may be among the many who have considered Siblingcide (mentally doing away with your siblings when they offer advice and orders but little or no help in caring for your ailing loved ones). If you have had these thoughts, welcome. You have passed the initiation process. As the founders and creators of SPS, we sisters, Virginia Stretcher and Sally Stretcher Grumbles, compiled this list of the strategies, tactics and action items we used in dealing with our aging parents and, most importantly, with each other.