"Role Reversal"? Not Really.
The blog, Welcome to Dementialand, by Elaine M. Eshbaugh, PhD, has a post about the differences between caregiving for a child, and being a care partner to an elderly parent. It compares the amount of support that we enjoy when we have a baby to the lack of support that exists in our society when we are caring for an adult.
Eshbaugh begins with : "Although I used the term “role reversal” in the title, I’ll be really clear in telling you I don’t like it. I hear people say things about how they’ve become a mother to their own mother, or something to that effect. And I get where they are coming from, but caregiving for an older adult is different from parenting." She goes on to make very poignant observations about the differences. We all know that they exist, but seeing our feelings validated by Eshbaugh was very gratifying. After reading her post, I felt grateful for the Montpelier Memory Cafe, where care partners and their loved ones with memory disorders can feel safe and supported. We carers do not have to explain anything to one another. We can express our triumphs and our trials without fear of being judged....or worse...ignored.