My ex-wife was disabled with a deteriorating disease when I met her and was wheelchair bound but was able to use a walking frame to get around as her condition deteriorated I closed my business to look after her full time. Even when I had that business I mainly worked from home so I was always her full time carer. However, her mum who was her carer before we met became jealous that I took over her role as carer and she did everything she could to break us up. I put up with it for 4 years then we seperated. Caring for someone can be very difficult but when you love someone you just get on with the job of caring for them. There is an old saying, "Life was not meant to be easy". I do however feel sorry for young children who have to look after their parents because it affects their education, their development, and their whole childhood. Apply for NDIS if you need the help Although life was not meant to be easy it also was not meant to be very hard either

Get an ANCAP assessment done as soon as possible could take 6 months set wheels in motion and if full time care is neede it puts you on a list .Check if there is respite in your area could be hours ,days ,weekend break not sure if it cost but its an option if the carer is drain not much good to the person requiring care . Church people may come and sit with someone while you do something for yourself or run an errand . Caring for someone takes a lot of committent and patience and understanding and at times we have to make tough decisions but never put your own health aside -time managent and asking for help benefits both parties even someone to vent to in the hardest of times lightens the load.

I get some help I am an older adult and I have two children and they help out when they can but I can take care of myself for the most part my car got totaled and I am debating whether or not to get a second hand card or ride a bus wherever I need to go on my certificate I am 70 years old but I do take care of most of my needs.

I think everyone with free time should care for someone else even if it is a stranger, lend a hand Jesus did.

My husband has pre-dementia and I was a carer for my 95 year old mother who resided in a nursing home. While my husband has his ups and downs my mother did tend to take up more of my time as she aged but after with the constant lockdowns then the vaccine mandate for nursing homes both her health and mental capacity suffered. Staffing numbers became acute and the residents of the nursing home began to suffer from neglect. An infection that went untreated for some 16 weeks resulted in mum suffering a heart attack and more recently a person fell on mum causing her to break her knee. Although I was told she was being treated by a physio mum was unable to walk when the cast came off and she was left in her room. She told me she didn't feel like eating so I took her bickies, chocolates and lollies then the RN rang to say mum had lost 2 kilo's and they were concerned. I requested mum be seen by a nutritionist, don't know if she ever was, and that she not be left in her room. I visited mum Tuesday before last and she looked terrible, I asked about her not eating but was told her BMI was normal, she looked like skin and bone to me, they said she was taking fluids so I got her some cup-o-soup, she asked me to prop her up which I did then she asked if I could visit again in a few days. A doctor rang me on Friday to tell me she was dehydrated but comfortable so I went to see her on Sunday. I didn't know who I was looking at and asked whether she could see or hear but was told she had been speaking. At 6.50 on Tuesday my mother passed away but have not been told what from. I told the RN I want the cause of death to be "vaccine mandate" but I'm pretty sure it won't say that. As I left the nursing home for the last time I looked at the residents I have seen and spoken to for years and they have all aged terribly and I feel have been neglected. There were 3 bedridden, one that was bright that now sits dozing off and wears compression stockings and another who now requires a walker and is terribly thin. These people used to laugh and joke but now sit in silence. I hear from others that all nursing homes are much the same now. It's a national disgrace. I am asking all of you to please back the call for a Royal Commission into the handling of the Pandemic. Our elderly deserve better treatment.

I wish I had these responsibilities. My mother passed away at the age of 48 when I was 21 and my father passed away at the age of 54 when I was 17. I am 60 now & still miss them.

This world if you have kids or not is the same. Same kids will let they parents alone. Never see them. Its up to person in the end want take care of parents or not

No, but st the moment I am doing the housework for my sister-in-law who has blood cancer that has eaten through a art of her spine. Very sad.

I worked for 5 years in the Caring system, which has been a God sent, for my now full-time caring duty for my husband, who suffers from all sorts of problems. after a fall, As I tell everyone that asks, It's hard but I take my wedding vows very serious

Have not been in that position.

My wife has Motor Neurone Disease - a very cruel disease and it has affected her power of speech and swallowing ability. We have help and it is most appreciated - but it has manifested quickly and is very confronting.

Its not an article its a discussion.

Child who has trauma related injuries from head trauma and emotional trauma the abuserssss walked away to live a life if freedom!!!Don't you think the system should punish people who abuse others???imprison them and take away their rights to a life???this should be taught from a very young age at school that's the coincidence kids don't abuse and cause injury to others and get away with it.They damaged my daughter's future and mine!!!the only way to stop this is to have zero intolerance for abuse on every place at schools workplaces in relationships on the street etc....I guess a part if me thinks that eventually all these abusers experience it back as universal karma for destroying other peoples lives!!!

Autisim seems similar to ADHD.

I care for our son with Autism

Im lucky i dont have the burden of caring for the sick. Lucky me! Lol

Good jod

Looking after grandchildren. It is so exhausting and unappreciated.

I don’t have anyone to care for apart from my boys…but I would if I could :-)

I don't care. But I do care. I have a wife, children, and grandchildren. I'm lucky, All I have to do is care.

I did mine before with my mother and a brother that was unkind with me and also with her at times, That is done and now I can focus on other things

Mine would be my mother. She is 93 and no longer independent. I need to go to the shops etc for her. She Loves her bingo so I try to take her weekly. Not always easy

No help with myself and my hubby who both have issues

I cared for my grandchildren so their mother could go to work. Today it take both parents working to make ends meet. Then I took care of my mother as she got older. Then I took care of my husband who was ill for over ten years and until he went into aged care and he is now in pallitive care. I am so grateful that after an operation my daughter has taken care of me but I am also thankful that I am starting to do things I couldn't do for a long time as I don't want my daughter to go through what I have/

We need to develop special robotics that can help out. Robots for the old and disabled. They might do a better job than some in the nursing homes do.

Well there are 3 siblings in my family and yes my parents are at that stage where they need a little extra help. We live 2 and half hours away and my brother and sister about an hour away so they are the closest. My sister lived in Malanda and when she got here she said I am here now. Leaving my husband and myself feeling like we had been replaced. We went over one time and the house was not very clean and my sister had been there and she knew we were coming. (my actually words were the house was putrid.) So while we were there I did some cleaning and recently we went over and my husband vacuumed all the down stairs and I did some dusting and we got Dad to clean the oven. We go over about 5 times a year. My sister at one stage thought she could look after them and get paid to do it but they have too much money for that. If we were to look after them they want us to move in with them but we want them to move in with us. So who knows what is going to happen and My Mum says some funny things some times so the mind boggles. All I can say is it will be sorted out one way or another in time. Although we do think about it often.Edited 22-Sep-22 14:05pm

Caring is a commitment that we can NOT get away from . I help caring for my disable friend. A nurse comes in every second day, i fill in the caps to cook and make conversation

I cared for both my mother and father for 7.5 years; had no help as I was an only child. Perhaps that is why I have chosen this career path and become more patient with people in general, particularly the elderly (whom I have lots of time and compassion for).

With great difficulty. Brother with mental illness. Insidious illness.

Im still waiting US? That picture? Lol

We are a family of just 2. My daughter has declared herself independent of me. Two of my family siblings are dead. Luckily both my husband and me have stayed relatively healthy into our 80s.

Yeah when did any start their jobs with tax file numbers and supernuations

I really don't have much yet

My husband is my carer but sometimes i end up caring for him. That is what love is all about

I care for my daughter who now lives in her own place with her dog. Have got NDIS which is helping a lot with her needs. Still the worry is always there of what will happen when I am gone.

I cared for my father before he passed while i was working and he was living in his own home but did have outside help for meals and cleaning

Why are you still on rewardia as always if your a carer Gaylene? You spend hours on these forums i can tell by the dates and times. US ..post a picture of you and husband together in the same photo if you aren't fake? Put up or shut up! Like the photo above Gaylene?Edited 22-Sep-22 11:52am

I lived with and cared for my mom for 2 years until she passed. I had a lot of help from my sister.

I know how it can be a burden, I look after my husband and he does a bit around the garden when he can. It's hard work.

My wife is Filipino and the family always help out others in a difficult situation. No words get spoken but things happen. You can have a meal and look around and the dishes are getting washed. Table cleared. Times I have been there and asleep my clothes have been taken and washed. Everyone gets into it and helps. I think Asian culture does this no matter what country

I took care of my husband until I got sick. Now we take care of each other. We both have Medicare and I have VA benefits so we are not eligible for extra help. That’s what happens when you work your whole life.

it takes a lot of bourbon, good bourbon but a lot, I care for my wife, daughter, and autistic grandson, and also look after my 3-year-old grandson the[ tornado], my 12-year-old granddaughter helps after school,but that nightly glass of bourbon is as good as taking of your shoes n socks after a long day i can tell you

Show us a picture of you and your dying so called husband, US, or Gaylene. Lets see if you are for real or not? Preferably in his wheelchair? Lol

My children all moved out got married and our on their own

and who is providing Care for those Parents, Grandparents when they get old and need to be helped? In most Western societies today, unlike Eastern ones, the children and grandchildren simply do not want to take care of those who did so much for them when they were young, and so we have those ghastly "Old People's Homes, Residential Aged Care Facilities (they are NOT "homes") where the idea is to feed them for $6.10 per day and Profit is the sole interest of the majority Religious organisations which own them The young today want the biggest house possible with all the amenities yet they cannot find room in those McMansions for their Parents or Grandparents!Before you jump down my throat, yes, I do realise that when it comes to people with advancing Dementia they need Specialist Care in Nursing Homes, but in the early stages they function well and can continue to be part of, and make a contribution to, their Families and the Community. In Eastern society multiple generations live together, unless it becomes impossible to care for someone, they don't shuffle their parents or grandparents off into some impersonal sort of prison where they are left to rot away and never be visited as seems to be the preferred practice in the West.

I am an in home health care aid. It's challenging at times. But most days I walk out after my shift and think to myself "Job well done chick"

I care for my husband, who has Cerebral Palsy. He's actually one of the luckier ones, as he had a fair amount of independence, but there are still a number of things I have to assist him with, such as showering, and also negotiating steps and other uneven ground,

Its super hard emotionally to help take care of your young spouse as they slowly slip away. I can't even believe it's real I can't even talk about it without breaking down Thats all I have. Edited 22-Sep-22 10:28am

Im not in that situation yet.

I care for people with disability

I am dealing with my Mom, who has dementia/alzheimer's-constantly trying to keep her somewhat in realityville. Also my son, who has bipolar, anxiety, etc-i help him calm down and refocus on things. A struggle, but it's what you do for family.

They get paid by the welfare to support them with disable relatives

Even the Queen at 96 managed to stay alive up until she was no longer able to. She didn't need a nursing home. I've visited a few nursing homes, one when i was a teen, and it was a good one mostly, another one was terrible, and it felt like death in that place. Not all are bad, but i believe most people would rather be cared for at home, than in one of these places. There had been some horrible stories comming out of the royal commission . Edited 22-Sep-22 08:54am

I cared for my wife when she was run down by a car several years ago, she is now caring for me after a major bowel re section due to abscess and diverticulitis

I don't know the exact figures, but id say most elderly, if they dont die quickly , get put into nursing homes before they die. Some of them are there for years before they die. In some third world countries where they dont have much in the way of nursing homes, except for the wealthiest, these people tend to care for their parents and grandparents when they are old. In Australia and other wealthy countries...most get put into nursing homes, thats a fact.

I see that Timtam mentioned that mostly women do the caring. Her comments are so stupid and biased and sexist. Ive known males who did the caring roles and ive known females in families that would not help a parent or sibling. So to say that most females are in the caring role is wrong. Females tend to be mothers so they are use to the caring role more than males. As males traditionally were the breadwinner of the family and most still are. So then women were more concentrated on caring for home and family. Many of thousands of parents get put into nursing homes in Australia, so there are many that wont look after their parents when they get sick or old. So to say that women are all caring is bullshit.

I have worked as a community carer, also was carer for my husband for 5 years until he died... you have to remember that you cannot care for someone else unless you care for yourself. You cannot pour from an empty vessel. If you are caring for someone try to connect with some form of respite service or carers group. Respite services can be in the form of day groups for the person requiring care to give you a break or can be for time in a nursing home or group home to give everyone a break. Carers groups give carers the opportunity to meet up with others that are providing a caring role and you have a sounding board for solutions to possible problems you may encounter.

I don’t only occasionally for my grandchildren if they are sick. But I’d be happy to care...till I can.

I was the sole carer for my husband from 2015 until he died in 2018, it was a hard time manly because watching him suffer an at times feeling helpless to do anything, I don't regret being there for him 24 hours a day. I was a labour of love.

My parents are in their 50s and in couple more years they would be in their 60s in which they would need my help.

Hope everyone can do well

Grandparents who look after their grandkids because usually the parents are druggies and misfits. I never had grandparents have to help me growing up. You have the kids so its your responsibility not someone else.

Some of us don't have to care for others and this would have been better as a poll than discussion. Im lucky i dont have to worry about others. I have older siblings with partners so they might be in that situation one day. Its good being single as you don't have to worry about anyone else.Edited 22-Sep-22 08:05am

I WAS CARING FOR MY MOTHER WHO IS 97 IT TOOK A LOT OF MY TIME AND HAD TO GIVE UP WORK BUT SINCE MARCH SHE WENT INTO A NURSEING HOME BUT I STILL DO A LOT FOR HER BUT IT HAS ALSO GIVEN ME MORE FREE TIME TO DO THINGS AROUND THE HOUSE THAT I COUNDNT DO AS MUCH OF BEFORE BUT ITS STILL HARD AS SHE IS NOT HAPPY IN THE HOME

I am 89 & bloody independent. I manage & don't want to be a burden on my family. They deserve a life of their own

I cared for my mother at our home for 7 years prior to her passing. My nephew for 2 years due to family not having him and his issues. Cared for my disabled sister for 8 years. In all of these people they gave me love all my life and it was difficult but a joy to do this for them. Have never regretted it and know that I will do the same again if necessary. I think that it does help that I have always cared for people as I was a nurse.Edited 22-Sep-22 09:14am

My son was born 3 months premature and weighed a pound and a half! He blossomed, thrived and became a semi-pro skateboarder when he was 18. He then injured his knees, but he is alive, well, and working hard!

i have cared all my life for people now that i am being cared for myself and its strange being cared for at this time of my life

My husband is 74, will be 75 Nov. I'm 63. He has cataracts, glaucoma. Has lost some vision in right eye, left eye getting fuzzy. I do all shopping, errands, yardwork, taking care of pets. I knew when we got married he had the disease, that he will go blind. I have no problem taking care of things.

We have our grandson - it can be a mission ??

I have worked as a caregiver for 15 years. I absolutely love it and wouldn’t want to be doing anything else with my life. The rewards are huge! What you give out you get back 10 fold!!! To help and care for those less fortunate than myself, is hard work, and extremely tiring at times, but the rewards outweigh the negatives! “Feel the love and volunteer to care” is what i would suggest to anyone wanting to enrich their lives

Having been a Personal Care Worker in the community for 10 years I witnessed many such cases you have mentioned. The amount of love sacrifice and devotion shown by family members was astronomical and very moving not to mention never ending in a lot of circumstances. I believe even though with some receiving daily help it was never enough particularly for those who needed care 24/7 who were bed bound or used wheelchairs.

I did care for my spouse with cancer..until the end..he psssed at home..

Yes I am the one who taking good care of my grandma, grandpa & my parents when they needs help specially if they are sick .& it's my responsibility to take care of them because they are my family specially all my children nieces & nephews. If someone got I'll in our family they call me because I'm a nursing aid.

I am the one that needs help but as no one else does anything for me, I have to take care of myself.

One, my parents demanded I leave their household when I was thirteen years old, and I have not seen my parents in fifty-eight years and counting (sometimes life IS fair). Two, I have not seen any of my siblings in fifty-eight years and counting. Three, I am not what you would call a caring-and-sharing individual when it comes to my fellow homo sapient - if I NEVER see anyone in my BIOLOGICIAL FAMILY - again - I would consider myself - VERY LUCKY! Four, if I should happen to outlive my money (and I grew up POOR - outliving my money scares the F... out of me) - life and my society (USA) schooled me about making hard decisions - I believe you have the right to commit suicide (but then I evolve into an atheist) without having to leave a note "behind" - explaining WHY you commit suicide!Edited 22-Sep-22 03:20am

I cared for my mother for 3 years up till 1 hour before she passed. I have been caring for my son for all his life and he is now in his late 40's. I guess once a parent always a parent and yes it is hard on my own. I also cared for my daughter for many years. It is what it is.

So far, just my children and spouse. Eventually, as my parents age, I am sure I will take care of them.