Siblings: Caregivers

Aired on Lifetime Television
Sunday, November 11 and December 30, 2007
Show 426

As we get older many of us expect that we're in line to help our aging parents. But many people don't think about the possibility of taking care of an older sibling. Pat is a caregiver for her 89-year old sister with Parkinson's disease. She says, "The most difficult thing is the dependence on one person. She has no one else." Pat does the shopping, takes her to the doctor and also has to help her make decisions. "It's hard to come to a decision about some things, to feel empowered and also to feel that I'm making the right decisions. So I encourage her and try to have her look at the positive side even though she's got problems. I guess that's the reward," says Pat. "It really does come from challenging, challenging work to get to a place where siblings feel comfortable with each other and as caregiver of each other. So we tell all siblings who are taking care of their loved ones today, who become caregivers, go get some therapy. Make sure you have a support group to go to," says Dr. Jamie Huysman.