Recommended Reading: They're Your Parents, Too!

If there is one book that should be on the nightstand of anyone who has a sibling, it’s, They're Your Parents, Too!: How Siblings Can Survive Their Parents' Aging Without Driving Each Other Crazy by Francine Russo. They’re Your Parents, Too! manages to be a how-to guide for not only the practical but the emotional business of caregiving—and we all know there’s plenty of emotions to go around.

Russo blends direct advice with real examples from real families. And she tackles tough questions: How do you decide on payment for a sibling who’s taking on more of the caregiving work? What do you do if your brother refuses to acknowledge that your mom needs extra care? How do you manage a completely unreliable sister who wants to help?

With busy caregivers in mind, Russo has organized They’re Your Parents, Too! into neat mini-chapters with the gist of each cleanly laid out in the title. There's also an index in back to make it easier to delve deeper into the rich research material.

Russo is a direct but empathetic guide through the pathways of avoiding family landmines, and she has a knack for seeing every angle of the issue at hand. And that’s the heart of what makes this book so special, They’re Your Parents, Too! never belittles the complexity of caregiving with a sibling, yet all the while Russo manages to give an objective view on every argument along with realistic advice. At the very least this book will help you get through the hard times, at best it will help you build a stronger bond with your whole family.

They're Your Parents, Too!: How Siblings Can Survive Their Parents' Aging Without Driving Each Other Crazy
by Francine Russo
304 pp. Bantam