Caregivers in Rowayton CT
Becoming a family caregiver for your aging parent can be one of the most challenging decisions that you ever make. This is not something that you should take lightly. When you take on the role of being a family caregiver you are not just committing to changing your life and the life of your elderly parent, but the lives of everyone who cares about and relies on you. Once you have made this decision, however, it is important to realize that all of your challenging decisions are not behind you. Often the hardest ones come when you are already invested in your care and you have to be prepared to make the choice that will be best for your aging parent.
One of these situations is when your aging parent is resistant to care. It is not uncommon for a senior to not feel excited about the prospect of needing are, or to even feel upset or angry about it. They may think that this need for care is an indication of their worth or their ability to live the life that they want, or worry that care means that they are no longer going to be able to make their own decisions and will have to let someone else "push them around". This can be especially difficult if your parent has always been fiercely independent and not one to accept any type of care, or if you have had a strained relationship in the past. Regardless of the amount of care that your parent needs or the benefits that receiving that care might offer, this resistance can result in combative, difficult behaviors that make it impossible for you to be as effective and nurturing a caregiver as you would like to be.
When this situation happens, you must decide if it is time to take a step back from your care responsibilities. This can be a very hard choice to have to make. You have already committed yourself to the role and may have made tremendous changes in your life in order to accommodate that new role, such as quitting your job, moving into a different home, or even ending a relationship. It can feel as though your parent has "taken" these things from you and that if you are going to make those changes worthwhile you have to stay actively invested in care. You might also feel that if you are not actively involved in your parent's care that they will not get the love, support, and assistance that they need, putting them at risk.
Making the choice to step back from your parent's care does not have to mean disengaging yourself completely. You can still act as your parent's primary caregiver, but chose to delegate most of the care rather than offering it directly. This might mean getting friends, family, and even a home care provider involved so that you are not the one that is taking on every task. This can help your parent feel less like you are taking over and give both of you space to heal and refocus on the benefits of your parent-child relationship, not just your senior-caregiver relationship.
If you or an aging loved one are considering help for family caregivers in Rowayton CT or the surrounding areas, please contact SYNERGY HomeCare of Stamford, CT at 203-661-6969.
