My sister and I are both financially comfortable and pay our individual zakat, but we've discovered that our elderly parents are struggling financially and we're not sure if helping them counts as zakat or if it should be separate from our charitable obligations. We're both feeling guilty about not realizing their situation sooner and confused about how to handle this properly.
More people experience this than they realize.
You're discovering that clear religious categories can become murky when family need intersects with formal charitable obligation.
“Where Are You with Zakat — Islamic charitable giving as financial system?”
If this sounds familiar, the Library can help you find the bigger picture.