Striking A Balance Between Caring For An Elderly Parent And Your Marriage
Let’s pose a hypothetical. One of your parents has gotten old, and their abilities have dwindled to the point where you’ve had to check them into one of the memory care facilities in Colorado or have them move in with you for the time being.
You’ve got a duty to help provide for them, to care for them to the best of your ability, but your responsibilities as a caretaker have started to chip away at your attentiveness in other areas of life.
It’s not such a far flung scenario. Caregivers are prone to burning out, and one of the harders relationships hit is often their marriage. Here are some ways to balance your life if you find yourself in such a predicament.
Putting The Focus Back On Your Marriage
It’s unfortunate, but even neglect born of a worthy cause like caring for a relative can put the kind of strain on a relationship that potentially leads to divorce, according to experts like Strange Law Firm, Bloomington family lawyers. The solution to counteracting this strain is to put the focus back on your marriage, starting with clear communication and planning.
Whether the elderly parent is living with you or not, couples should have ample discussion about the caregiving spouse’s responsibilities, and the boundaries of those responsibilities. While you might experience a situation or two where you have to be flexible, communicating about this clearly from the start helps your partner understand, and gives them an opportunity to support you in taking care of your responsibility.
Communication should also cover being honest about your feelings and being able to share those feelings with your partner. It might feel difficult to find the time for these conversations, but you’ll need to prioritize discussing how you feel in order to keep your sanity and balance the duties of your marriage.
When having these important discussions, you and your partner both need to remember to listen to one another, even when you are broaching topics that may be sensitive. It won’t benefit either of you for your words to go in one ear and out the other, nor would you want your conversations to lead to confusion or misinterpretation from the other party.
Finally, remember that keeping a marriage alive is a team effort. Don’t cast blame on one another. Rather, confide in one another and use that support to help build your relationship stronger than ever before.
