When there is a rift between adult children and a step-parent, what happens when the chips are down and an elderly parent/spouse grows ill or begins to suffer from dementia? What happens when the family does not pull together, but rather pulls apart? The latter scenario is a very real possibility in many families. Accordingly, some advance planning would be advisable, so all parties involved can come up with an agreed game plan before a crisis strikes.
What if it is too late and the family is in crisis mode? The best approach may be to mediate and remediate. As the original article points out, family meetings are a very important tool in some circumstances unless the family is already fractured beyond repair. For example, it can be a difficulty to get everyone to even show up and talk.
There might not be a silver-bullet plan that is a one-size-fits-all, but if you engage the issues now you might be able to work through them later.
