Solo caregiving takes a toll on both parties. What starts out as an act of compassion and loyalty can deteriorate into a role that exceeds the best efforts of one person.
Reframing the situation from a new vantage point helps aging parents to see how far out of control things have become, a reconsideration of the challenges as well as what could make things better.
Focus on what’s working and why. This is the good news. Then consider areas that are drifting out of control and why. Emphasize there are choices that can help shore up control while enhancing quality of life.
Thought this was a good opinion piece – noting how an adamantly-solo male caregiver is a theme that runs through many stories that end in murder or murder-suicide. Makes several data connections that hadn’t occurred to me even though I’d read a lot of stories over the years. Lots of issues tangled in this bundle!
https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2017/03/09/elderly-murder-suicide-call-it-desperation-but-don-t-call-it-love/
The link made the rounds of disabilitytwitter in December after a couple of “human interest” / high-profile cases were in the national news.