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Young children who look after their parents
Filed under: Activities: Babies, Health & Safety: Babies, Development/Milestones: Babies
Imagine being five-years-old and having a mother with a degenerative disease. Now imagine being five and taking care of both yourself and your mother.For many children around the world, this is a reality. Since Michael was four-months-old, his mother has suffered from a disease that has left her disabled. Michael has had to grow up very fast in order to take care of both himself and his mom.
He can help her get to the toilet and in the shower. He can make his own sandwich when hungry and fold up his mom's wheelchair to fit in the trunk (boot) of a car.
Michael is called a "young carer," and is one of 175,00 children taking care of a family member in Britain. He is now a part of an organization called Barnardo's, which helps these children be kids for just a few moments.
I recently saw an episode on Oprah about children that ended up taking care of their own siblings when a parent could no longer do so. In the show I saw, I don't remember the parents being sick (though one or two might have been) but, rather had drug problems.
Barnardo's offers the children a way to get counseling for their unique lives and also a way to arrange for respite care and socialization for the children. I just hope the children get the help they need; too often these kids stay quiet for fear of being taken from their homes.
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
11-12-2006 @ 6:57PM
thordora said...I remember having to help my mother after her chemo and radiation treatments, helping her dress when especially ill, all kinds of things before I was 10. After she died, I still had to "pick it up" and be the woman in the house to some degree.
Having something like this would have been a welcome diversion. I watched that Oprah episode with my father, which was difficult, all told.
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11-13-2006 @ 10:50AM
VL said...My aunt cares for disabled persons. One couple she cared for suffered from CP from birth and both were in wheelchairs. With medical assitance, they were able to concieve a child who is now about 6 years old. From the time she could walk, she was able to get onto the public bus with them, speak for them, and she knew she had to behave. They love her very much, but sometimes I wonder what her quality of life is or if she harbors any resentment at her care-giver role.
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