Not all caring is the same. Caring there is a difference.
Care for your family.
Care for yourself.
Care for your children.
Care for your aged loved ones.
Care for people with a disability.
Care for friends.
Care for a living.
There are so many types of caring that we do and they are all different.
Some we do very well and some we are not so good at
One is not easier or harder than the other – there are different emotions involved for any of the caring.
There is excellent support for carers of people with disabilities or mental illnesses however caring for your aged loved ones doesn’t rate a mention anywhere.
As a child caring for your parent the emotions are topsy turvy – it doesn’t matter how old the child is it is very tough caring for your parent.
Please don’t get me wrong I am in no way saying caring for anyone is easy
Because it isn’t, what I am talking about is that each of the care situations are different and should be treated differently.
Caring for your ageing loved one brings forth a lot of different emotions. The cared for is now caring for the carer. You Don’t have to do this alone.
Our aged loved ones have been independent for such a long time, they told us what to do and when to do it, we looked to them for advice in all things and now the roles have been reversed. Now they are relying on you.
The old saying “walk a mile in another’s shoes” comes to mind. I think it would be very difficult when you are used to doing everything yourself and now you need to rely on others not to mention it is your children that are telling you what to do.
Personally It was difficult for me to see how much Dad needed our help, he was the strong one – the patriarch of the family. The one we took our problems to and now we were solving his problems. This is the true circle of life.
How do you deal with that?
How does your aged loved one deal with it?
Understanding and compassion is my suggestion. There is no magic wand or easy solution and as I say often every situation is different and every situation has a different solution.
Find the one that works for you.
It doesn’t have to be perfect to be perfect for you.
Knowing what care your aged loved ones require and want is the key to providing good care.
