I've had a week off visiting this week - my dad is in a care home (he has dementia) and my mum is in a psychiatric ward as she had a breakdown after caring for him for - well, years - until he went into full time care 9 weeks ago.
My sister in law has stepped up to the mark this week and has been visiting mum and dad so I can have a break. My brother and her live a long way away, so I do understand its not practical for them to help as much as I can, as I live nearby. I'm nearing the end of two weeks off work - we (myself, husband and 14 year old daughter) haven't managed to have a 'proper' holiday this year as my mum was taken into psychiatric care the week before and we weren't able to book anything - or feel comfortable about going away. We've had day trips, and a short break, and have been able to please ourselves this week as I've had no visiting obligations.
I'm now dreading the end of this 'holiday' and wondering how on earth I'm going to manage my job, my family, my daughters imminent return to school (with school runs and all the other motherly responsibilities!) and visiting two people in two different places. I think I'm going to have to visit my dad less. His care is permanent, and I'm not sure how good his grasp of time is, as I usually visit every third day - its just all I can manage. He once said 'you didn't come in yesterday' when in fact it had been three days since I was there.
With some TLC I hope my mum will be able to return to independent living (although it'll probably mean sheltered accommodation) once her medication (antidepressants) have been sorted and the psychiatrists/therapists have been able to untangle what has gone on in her mind and help her to recover.
How on earth do I fit everything in?! My own health is starting to suffer - I had a bout of what was probably diverticulitis myself a few weeks ago, just before mum went into the psych ward - probably due to all the stress....
My sister in law has stepped up to the mark this week and has been visiting mum and dad so I can have a break. My brother and her live a long way away, so I do understand its not practical for them to help as much as I can, as I live nearby. I'm nearing the end of two weeks off work - we (myself, husband and 14 year old daughter) haven't managed to have a 'proper' holiday this year as my mum was taken into psychiatric care the week before and we weren't able to book anything - or feel comfortable about going away. We've had day trips, and a short break, and have been able to please ourselves this week as I've had no visiting obligations.
I'm now dreading the end of this 'holiday' and wondering how on earth I'm going to manage my job, my family, my daughters imminent return to school (with school runs and all the other motherly responsibilities!) and visiting two people in two different places. I think I'm going to have to visit my dad less. His care is permanent, and I'm not sure how good his grasp of time is, as I usually visit every third day - its just all I can manage. He once said 'you didn't come in yesterday' when in fact it had been three days since I was there.
With some TLC I hope my mum will be able to return to independent living (although it'll probably mean sheltered accommodation) once her medication (antidepressants) have been sorted and the psychiatrists/therapists have been able to untangle what has gone on in her mind and help her to recover.
How on earth do I fit everything in?! My own health is starting to suffer - I had a bout of what was probably diverticulitis myself a few weeks ago, just before mum went into the psych ward - probably due to all the stress....