When your mother needed help, you weren’t going to turn your back on her. No way. That is the type of person you are. Maybe you’ve had your differences with her through the years or you might have been best friends since you reached adulthood. Whatever the case may be, your mother needs help now, and you didn’t bat an eye; you stepped up to the plate and hit a home run.
You’ve been there for her every step of the way so far, but it’s taking a toll. You can’t remember the last time you had a good night’s rest. You spend many nights waking up in fits, in the middle of nightmares, and wonder if everything’s okay, if she’s still in bed, if she fell, or something she said out of frustration or anger was something she really meant.
Taking care of family members, especially adult children looking after aging parents, can impact the dynamics of that relationship. Suddenly the child becomes the parent, in a sense. This kind of dynamic might not seem like a big deal to the adult child looking after their parent, mostly because they are focused on the love and safety of their family member, but for the parent it can be a difficult pill to swallow.
When you reach a point of frustration, when it seems as though the relationship you’ve had with your elderly mother or father is declining, suddenly this life as a family caregiver doesn’t seem to be working out the way you had envisioned.
How did you envision this working out?
Most Americans have no experience taking care of an aging senior. They don’t know what to expect, what is needed, or how to navigate the difficult waters. A person in their late 40s or 50s (the average age for the American family caregiver, according to Forbes) probably doesn’t have any clue what it is like to face increasing health challenges, chronic health issues, declining strength, diminishing balance, and a growing need for assistance with even the most basic tasks of everyday life.
But, just because you may not experience those things for yourself right now, you can have empathy. That’s the incredible, amazing aspect of being a human; having the capacity to imagine what it may be like based on observation, reading what others have gone through, and knowing that person you are supporting.
Despite all that wonderful empathy and understanding, maybe you thought this would bring you closer together, but all it’s doing is tearing your part. What can you do in this type of situation?
Turn to in-home care.
In-home care through a professional agency can provide the caregivers your aging parent needs while giving you an opportunity for rest, relaxation, and to focus on other aspects of your life that are still important to you.
No, it’s not being selfish. It’s being reasonable. It’s being prudent. Most family caregivers actually miss amazing opportunities that would’ve helped their aging parent or grandparent best, simply because they didn’t have the experience necessary to take on this role in the first place.
The best thing about professional in-home care support services is that it allows seniors to remain where they are most comfortable: at home. Aging in place is important to most elderly men and women across the country, but it’s not available to all for any number of reasons.
If your mother or father wants to remain at home and your work as a family caregiver is not turning out the way you thought it would and it is negatively impacting your relationship with him or her, or both, it’s time to learn more about in-home care. The more you learn about in-home care services, the more you can share with them and the more all of you can make the best, most reasonable decision for them at this stage in their life.
If you or an aging loved one is considering in-home care in Burr Ridge, IL, please contact the caring staff at Suburban Home Care today at (630) 964-9000.
There are several great reasons why Suburban Home Care® should be your choice for quality homecare. All of our Certified Nursing Assistants and Home Health Aides are screened, trained, bonded and insured.
Every family needs to be aware that almost every Homeowner’s insurance policy specifically excludes anyone working within your home. If the person you hire becomes injured while working for you, you will become personally responsible for all of their medical bills. This has left several families very vulnerable when their caregiver injured themselves at their home.
The potential to lose everything you have worked so hard to achieve seems an unnecessary risk. Every one of Suburban Home Care®’s employees are completely covered by insurance so you and your loved ones can relax knowing that if something unforeseen happens to your caregiver, they are completely covered by insurance.
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