Relationships-How to Provide Care For a Sick Parent

According to a survey done by the US Department of Health and Human Services in 1999, approximately 52 million Americans are caring for a sick or disabled family member. As the US population ages, that number is probably much higher now.

Caring for a sick parent is very difficult, time consuming and stressful for most adult children. Unfortunately, too many feel guilty about the level of care they're providing, because they feel they're not doing enough.

Most adult children have their own children and families to take care of at the same time they're trying to care for a sick parent too, and this often leaves them very stressed or even burned out because there seems to be no time left for them to care for themselves.

One of the first things you need to do when caring for a sick parent is to get help. This seems to be one of the most difficult things for some people to do because they feel they're supposed to do it all. However if their own health suffers because of sheer exhaustion and stress, they won't be able to care for anyone.

So instead of trying to be a superwoman or superman and take it all on by yourself, get help. There are plenty of professional services and organizations that can help in a number of ways. If your parent lives alone for instance, consider hiring a home health specialist for them. These professional caretakers can either live in the home with your parent and help take care of them full time, or they can drop by on a regular schedule to check up on things and help with various chores and errands such as laundry or grocery shopping.

If your parent lives with you, you can still hire a professional to stay with them while you're at work during the day, and you can even hire someone to stay with your parent while you take some time off too. Schedule time for you to get away to either relax, have fun, or do something for yourself for instance, while being assured that Mom or Dad is being taken care of too.

If there are other family members or relatives that live close by, consider trying to work out a sharing arrangement with them for parental care time. Your parent could be taken care of by one person a few times each week, and another the rest of the time for instance. You could also simply arrange to have the family member spend time with your parent while you take regular breaks of your own.

There are also many community based services all over the United States now too. Services such as senior community centers and adult daycare facilities can be a lifesaver for anyone who has been trying to juggle their own life's needs with the needs of their sick parent. Simply taking your aging parent to one of these services each day, or several times each week can help give you some of the relief and time you need, while still ensuring your parent is getting their medications or care they need.