Tips for Balancing Caregiving Relationships between Generations

Caregiving can creep into your life or crash down with a bang, but either way, if we aren’t thinking ahead, we can find that our other relationships suffer. Oh man, I’ve been there. This is how it often happens: You see your parents a lot since you still live in the same community. So, when your mom falls and breaks her arm, of course, you rush to help. You assist your dad with making some adjustments around the house, and then, for the most part, he takes over. Then, the unthinkable: Your dad has a heart attack. You rush in to help. And then… I refer to this as the “creep-up factor” because ​while ​many situations are far less dramatic than the one above, being an adult child adds the role of caregiver to your list that frequently includes wife/husband, girlfriend/boyfriend, mother/grandmother, career woman/man, and friend. Note: Let me acknowledge here that many men step into the caregiver role, but since the majority of our current caregivers tend to be women, going forward, we’ll simplify by using a woman as an example. As you throw yourself into each of your roles... Continue reading on HeroHealth for more about our challenges as we try to balance our caregiving with our other relationships: Minding Our Elders: Caregivers Share Their Personal Stories.“I hold onto your book as a life preserver and am reading it slowly on purpose...I don't want it to end.” ...Craig William Dayton, Film Composer         ...
Source: Minding Our Elders - Category: Geriatrics Authors: Source Type: blogs