Last week, I posted 6 Lessons For Those Stuck in the “Sandwich” (if you missed it, you can check it out here). There was a nice photo of a smiling, happy, seemingly loving family; but let’s face it, not every family is smiling and happy or loving when faced with dealing with their own family at home plus the issues of their aging parents. In fact, many might better be classified as a Reluctant Caregiver.
I found a really good article about this by Wendy Johnstone in the Comox Valley Record. She talks about a conversation she had with a friend who, due to geographic proximity, the care of his parents fell to him; but due to a long history of conflict and hurt, he’s not close to his parents and he’s dragging his feet in helping them.
In the article she writes: “There is this misconception among family caregivers that they should have strong feelings of wanting to care and/or a sense of deep love and affection towards the person they are caring for.
I think it is safe to say that at one point or another, all family caregivers are reluctant caregivers. Caregivers often find themselves in their role due to distance, availability, obligation or what seems like a lack of choice. This often leads to feelings of frustration, resentfulness or being backed into a corner.”
Her message is that you are not alone and that you have every right to feel the way you do and it’s best to find ways to vent and express how you feel instead of holding it inside.
To that I would add, know that there are other options out there to help take some of the burden off your shoulders. Senior Partners has had tremendous success in helping adult children with their aging parents daily life and money matters by taking that responsibility off their plate.
Our services have helped adult children:
- Stop fights and conflicts with their parents about money and spending
- Take away the burden of doing everything themselves
- Gain peace of mind knowing that an objective third-party, who’s fully insured and bonded, is regularly checking in on their loved one
If you know a Reluctant Caregiver who may be having difficulty trying to do it all for their aging parent or parents, have them schedule a free consultation with us. We can step in and help with daily life and money matters and connect them to other resources they may need.
