I took care of my Mom while she was dying. She died last July. I had no help. I am now taking care of my 90 yr old Dad who is trying to forge ahead after a 68 yr marriage. His health is certainly getting worse. I have an older brother two miles away who is completely insane. It is just me. It is only me. I am on meds for bipolar disorder. I am attending counseling through hospice but the fact is that I am alone....No help. Alone.
then, conversely, some, more sociable elders might do better in the institutional setting altho i havent been able to verify that theory just yet. my aunt is in a nice AL but isnt very happy and yearns for home but home is not a reality as she cant live alone and doesnt have a decent potential carer in her immediate family. its all excruciating to deal with but just concentrate on being a carer you will look back on and approve of -- because soon you will be doing the lookback.
I'm so glad you're here! I found this website when my dad was living with me and I'm so glad I did. Now that dad is gone I still come here to share my experience and support others who are caring for elderly parents.
I'm glad to hear that you're taking meds for the bipolar. We have to keep up with our own health and wellbeing if we're to be any good to the person we're caring about. And that you're in counseling is wonderful. Keep it up.
Do you and your dad live together? Can he be left alone? I remember when I was caring for my dad people would tell me that I needed to get out but I never told them that I really had nowhere to go. I went to church and participated in some church activities. I went to the movies on a pretty regular basis. I did some volunteer work. But none of that was enough. I needed a LIFE. And I'm not ashamed to say that I used my position as a caregiver to not seek out other people to socialize with because I didn't know how to go about doing that. I was 40. I didn't know how to make new friends or where to find them. That's why this website was so wonderful for me.
You're not alone now, not really. There are so many people here who are here regularly. I wish AgingCare.com had a feature that allowed its members to speak in real time.....like on FB. I'd talk to you!
Keep coming back. Keep going to counseling. Keep taking your meds. You're doing all the right things. Is there a friend you can call and meet for lunch even if it's just an hour? It's something....a small step.