Hi peoples...reactivating an old thread that's relevant rather than starting a new one. I'm an "unofficial" carer on two main fronts- elderly parents who are officially under the care of an aged care home, but still needing a lot of practical and emotional support from myself and my sibling, and also supporting an adult daughter with Dissociative Identity Disorder but who is "living independently"...sort of. Also ocasionally supporting an adult son with a neurological specific learning disorder but who is mostly capable day to day.
Said daughter has, for the first time, gone in for an extended stay at a private psych clinic (at the local public one, getting an overnight emergency admission is nearly impossible, let alone anything more extensive!) so for the first time in a few years, I don't have the worry at the back (or front) of my mind that she might seriously injure herself. For a few weeks, she will have people on hand who are better qualified as 24 hour psychological advisors than me. Despite the fact that this will be a challenging time for her, I've got some much needed breathing and recovery space. I'm hoping she may even go back to her home with some healthy coping strategies instead of the dangerous ones she currently falls back on.
I'm not getting a total break- I will need to spend a week with my parents (400 km trip away) visiting them and continuing a big sorting out job at the old family home, but I want to make sure I get some recharge time as well. Here's hoping the weather improves enough for me to access my favourite recharge- i.e. the garden.
I'm not so much asking for advice as wanting to offload about how I'm feeling with a group of people who won't make the mistake of thinking that my sense of relief shows any lack of love towards my daughter. I'm guessing others may have experienced similar feelings?
