I had the privilege of interviewing a peer
concerning the care of his elderly mother. Her name is Olga S. and she is 81
years of age. Olga was the eldest of five children and she was born and reared
in a rural community in Mexico. Olga was raised in extreme poverty and dropped
out of school by the 5th grade. She relocated to Galveston, Texas
when she married her husband. Olga and her spouse had six children. In the last
2 years she was diagnosed with two chronic illnesses and could no longer reside
in her marital home alone.
For this interview, Olga’s son George was
my candidate that graciously accommodated my request to gain insight about what
it takes to parent the parent. The interview begins.
F.T.: Hello, George S. has joined me to
discuss the stress of taking care of an elderly parent and the challenges that
familial caregivers face on a daily basis. Thanks for doing this interview.
G.S.: Hello Felicia. You’re welcome!
F.T.: Tell me how caring for your mother
became the responsibility of the family?
George S.: My father died recently and my
mother needed minimum assistance with bathing and taking her medication. I and
my siblings had full time employment and could not immediately assume the
responsibility for caring for my mother. We all met one weekend and decided to
let my mother remain in her home. We decided at that time that one of us would
go by the house in the morning and prepare breakfast, at lunch and then dinner.
This worked for a while but was short lived. I arrived at my parent’s home at
lunch one day and my mother was passed out on the kitchen floor. She had not
eaten the food prepared for dinner and by morning her blood sugar had dropped
too low.
