Hi I'm so pleased to find this forum and to hopefully get some advice on my situation. My dad has advanced Parkinson's. Two years ago he had a lengthy hospital stay following a fall. Tragically my mum died unexpectedly during that stay. My dad was subsequently discharged to a care home and then covid happened so he was basically stuck there. To cut a long story short myself and my husband made the massive decision to relocate 200 miles to look after him at home. I gave up my job and my husband got a new job locally. After a lot of preparation, including OT/ social worker assesments he came out of care in November. We realised straight away that we underestimated how hard it would be & that we weren't told the whole story re his needs. I am up multiple times a night with dad and I'm unable to leave him at all so I'm pretty much housebound (except for dashing out to walk the dog when the carer comes to shower dad) I'm exhausted and struggling to find any joy at the moment. My husband and I have no time alone or real privacy. At the moment I don't feel like I'm being the best daughter I can be to dad due to how I feel. I don't think he realises the impact caring for him 24/7 is having on us especially the lack of/broken sleep. I feel guilty as it's only been a month but it already feels unsustainable. If anyone can offer any words of wisdom I'd be very grateful. I love my dad so much. I feel sorry for what he has to contend with but I'm also worried about the health of my husband and myself physically and mentally.
Welcome to the forum. I'm afraid there are a number of people in your sort of situation.
Apologies in advance for all the following questions.
Your answers will help us work out work out where to go from here.
Is it realistic to continue caring for him?
Would more support help?
What is dads financial situation?
Does he own or rent his home?
Have over £23,000 in savings.
Are you an only child?