Caring for Aging Parents Who Didn’t Care for You
..Nancy had spent years in therapy learning to cope with her childhood issues. Through hard work, she learned to forgive her father for his lack of involvement and the fact that he didn’t put a stop to the abuse her mother doled out. She’d learned that he likely didn’t know about a lot of what went on in his absence and that he was probably in denial about what he did suspect because he really didn’t know what to do about it. Although he failed to protect her, Nancy extended forgiveness, primarily because her father acknowledged where he fell short. They formed a bond and he became a terrific grandfather to her children. As he aged and showed signs of needing more care, Nancy felt she was capable of caring for him in some “hands-on” capacity.
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
