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Homeschooling alongside elder caregiving
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This may have been discussed before, but I was wondering if any of you have an elderly parent or grandparent living in your home that you are caring for while homeschooling. I am looking for some tips and advice.
We (me, dd16, ds14, dd13) live in the home of my 87-year old dad. It is an old, 4-bedroom colonial in a less than stellar neighborhood, and the home has not been kept pristine or pretty (inside or outside) since my mom passed away over 16 years ago. We have lived here for 7 years, having moved here in the midst of marital separation. Added to the mix is the fact that my son is mildly autistic. He attends a charter school for kids with autism & ADHD, and I homeschool my daughters in 10th grade and 7th grade.
My dad was recently diagnosed with dementia, although it may actually be the beginning stages of Alzheimer’s. We still have a lot to discuss with his doctor about his prognosis. He can still drive (though not far) and can handle most of his daily routine, but he is very forgetful and sometimes a bit confused. This is what we are facing.
I was wondering if any of you in a similar situation could give me some tips or advice on making homeschooling work well for us in these circumstances. Also, I am trying to keep the household running smoothly on limited income and resources. My sister is planning on coming over to help get his affairs in order and to help him go through all of the “stuff” (dad is a packrat) that he has accumulated over the years and throw out/pack away things. This is probably going to be the toughest job right now, as I can imagine how I would feel if someone was going through my stuff & telling me to throw out things.
Anything you can suggest, even anecdotally, would be appreciated.
Sue
Wow Sue, sounds like a lot. Kind of been in the same situation, except it was my maternal grandmother. She was not my responsibility though. I will pray for you and your family. I know how hard it can get sometimes, just remember that God is faithful and he Loves You!
I didn’t see this last week, Sue. I’ll pray for you all. I have lived with both of my grandmothers who had varying degrees of dementia. My grandfather actually had Alz. first. (That was before I had children so I don’t have the experience of homeschooling during that time.) But one bit of advice that we were given when my grandfather was no longer able to drive safely is to let someone else “be the bad guy.” Instead of a family member taking his keys away, we had a police officer come to the house and take them. I can’t remember if his doctor had to request the police to do that or not (small town). My granddad did not make a fuss for the officer like he would have done for a family member. And my grandmother had the police to “blame” when he fussed about her driving instead of him. So it is good that your sister is willing to help him go through his things. I’ll be praying!
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