Caring for Two Parents at the Same Time

Although it’s wonderful that your parents have grown older together, providing care for both parents at the same time is twice as demanding.

As your parents’ care requirements increase, the physical demands on you as a personal caregiver will be compounding.

The situation may be even more complex if your parents require different types of care. An example would be that your mother may need skilled nursing while your father requires Alzheimer’s care. The emotional aspect of possibly separating your parents could result in flaring tempers, and the challenges of arranging the two at the same time may catapult the family’s stress levels through the roof.

As stated in earlier posts, stress from caregiving for an adult child may lead to feeling lonely, frustrated and guilty. Perhaps you may even experience grief or anger. Yes, anger. It's okay to feel that.

If you are a single child providing care for two parents, let me ask you, how do you cope with caregiving?

You don't want to be overwhelmed by your feelings. You need to have your own life.  It’s important to know that you aren't alone and that there are resources available to help you.

Holding a family meeting would help to make sure that everyone in the family understands everyone else’s concerns and would be able to work together to plan a strategy for caregiving.

If one or both of your parents are able to help out in the decision making process, try to include them as well.

Beyond that, speaking with a Certified Senior Advisor or other local expert can assist you in providing care for your parents. Conversations with experts may help you find out about possibilities you hadn’t thought of.

If you need help caring for your mom and dad, give us a call and we’d be glad to help. Call (978) 744-5151 today.