Brenda’s caregiving story
We then became that statistic! Adult children caring for aging and ailing parents. So there we were- just me and Bill- no one had seen nor heard from Gerry in years, sadly not even his own kids.
In the last 2 years, Dad became Mom’s caregiver, she had was in the early stages of Alzheimer disease. When his own health started to decline because of emphysema, it became increasingly more difficult for him to care for Mom. Dad had doted on Mom like she was a princess and she came to expect this service. Mom lacked understanding and compassion as she failed to recognize my father’s changing condition. In fact, she grew to be bitter and resentful towards him.
My brother Bill and I started to get frequent calls from both parents, each complaining about the other. During visits, we were often cornered by one of our parents and expected to pick a side as they vented how unhappy and miserable they were. The more neutral we tried to stay, the more they escalated our involvement. After months of this crazy back and forth, we’d had enough!
My brother and I requested a family meeting to discuss support for our parents. I laughed when my Mom called it an “intervention” and yet, both appeared to be relieved that we were finally doing something. It was an honest and very emotional meeting where we talked about community supports such as meals on wheels, respite for Dad, and a cleaning lady for Mom. My brother and I breathed a sigh of relief as we left their home feeling like all was settled and in place.
Not so! Less 24 hours later, they somehow banded together into this formidable force. I started to get phone calls from my parents saying they could manage on their own and that Bill and I were meddling in their affairs.
In a panic, I called my brother and said: “What do we do now?” We agreed that, although it was difficult to pull away, we needed to respect their wishes and allow them to go it alone. My brother wisely said: “They have been together over 50 years. It is THEIR marriage…for better or worse, in sickness or in health.”
Please don’t get me wrong, we did not abandon our parents, but rather waited in the wings with eyes on the situation until we were needed. Approximately 2 weeks after this meeting, Dad was transferred to the hospital where he stayed and Mom remained in her apartment. I came and lived with Mom for 2 months and Bill became Dad’s errand boy. Yes, the prevailing circumstances permitted us to step in and help our parents. Now we were needed. Dad passed 6 months later and Mom was living alone… (a story for another day)
In hindsight, the refusal of our parents to accept help was probably rooted in fear. Perhaps my parents were afraid to lose control over their lives and accepting help meant the beginning of loss of control. No one wants to wait for a crisis to happen; yet this opened the door for my parents to give in and give up and finally accept our help.
Are you willing to have a conversation with me about your experience/s caring for someone? Perhaps you would prefer to write up your story yourself. Email me at janevock@sehc.com. I would love to hear from you!
