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Elderly parents

the administrative load of elderly /dementia parents

26 replies

Aramox · 05/10/2020 10:54

I'm finding the load of managing care for my parent absolutely overwhelming. She lives 'independently' with dementia and so every single thing has to be organised by me. GP, district nurse, social worker, carers, cleaner , hair, feet, nails - it's becoming unsustainable. Has anyone got experience of coping better? I feel like it needs a concierge or a PA! Would a live-in carer manage all this stuff - she could afford that for a while? I'm also looking at a move to assisted housing but I don't know if they'd give that kind of support? Or would a care home really be the only option to escape all the million different bits of care involved ?

OP posts:
AMBOG · 05/10/2020 20:25

I can totally relate to this. My mum has now been in a care home for 6 months. My dad still lives in the family home. Before she went in there were constant doctor, audiologist, hospital visits, falls, entertaining visitors who came to see them. Then there was / is their house. The electricity inexplicably cutting out, bits of cladding falling off, a toilet constantly flushing, and once to cap it all a rat (live) in the bedroom just before her sisters were coming over to look after her when we took dad to my brother’s wedding. I was making phone calls at work at lunchtime. In the home they now take care of everything. I still have my dad and that’s hard enough but he is not as medically needy as my mother. Luckily for me I work part time now and I use 1 morning to do admin tasks. I would say if you can afford it outsource some things. Carers will shop or take mum to appointments. If you work full time and have a family it’s really hard. You have all my sympathies.