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, you’ll likely need to start trimming your obligations since even the most determined person has yet to find a way to add hours to a day.
Re-evaluating your priorities
Some of the cuts you make are obvious. If you’ve been volunteering significant time to a fun project, but it’s not one of your life’s priorities, you may need to take a break.
Other relationships aren’t so easily altered, so hurt feelings — and even marriage problems — can arise. First…
Minding Our Elders: Caregivers Share Their Personal Stories. “For anyone having to walk the last segments of life with a loved one, read this.” …Delores
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