Are You an Overwhelmed Elder Home Caregiver? 

As an elder home caregiver I know how you feel, that's why this website was developed, to help all of us who suddenly found themselves caring for an elderly parent. And, yes, I was in over my head and knew I had no choice as an elder home caregiver; I had to get myself organized and get on with caring for my parent.

In your situation, looking back, was it evident for maybe five or six years that your Mom was finding it difficult to function and were there  signs of paranoia and some dementia?  Perhaps there were telephone conversations with her when her mind wandered. Some-times she identified with television shows and they became part of her life, as if she had lived it.

Sometimes your mother seemed really scattered in her thinking and often spoke of telemarketers as if they were friends. Sad, but true, to think that a telemarketer was befriending your mother and she was glad to have those lonely minutes filled. As you listened to your mother, did you wonder how much money the telemarketers were bilking from her? Had she given them a Social Security number or given them a credit card number? Was it time to have a conversation about identity theft? Were these people even real? Was she just over or under medicated and delusional?

Perhaps your Dad was insistent that he could live by himself after Mom died, but was he eating right? Was he capable of cooking for himself. Was it safe to have him around a stove? Was he bathing, doing the laundry, keeping the house clean?

Maybe your father refused to confide in you that he was lonely and afraid and that he found it almost impossible to write a check to pay the bills, to drive to the grocery, to come home to an empty house. Whenever you asked a probing question, he promptly put you in your place. He was the parent and you were out of line asking questions about your parent's business. Did he tell you that friends and neighbors stopped by to help him and he implied it was okay for them to ask questions, but not you? 

One day Mom had a stroke. It was evident she could no longer stay by herself. She remembered that you had always told her she would have a home with you when the time came that she needed help. Somehow it seemed that day was always way off in the future. Now the future is today and Mom seems relieved that her burdens have been shifted onto your shoulders.

So, if you are reading this website, it is probable that something happened that made it impossible for Mom or Dad to continue on their own and now you are their caregiver.  What do you do?

You can begin by reading the articles listed under the buttons on the left. For further detailed and very insightful information, purchase my book (buttons on the right). This book was specifically written to help caregivers gain control of the huge amount of legal, financial, medical information you will be required to manage.

I did not want to write the book talking only about Dad or only about Mom; so the book is written as both he or she or Mom or Dad. Hopefully this will make the book more meaningful to all readers. 

For an Overview of my book elder home care giver  Book Overview

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