Who teaches us how to take care of those who took care of us?

No one sufficiently warns you about the moment the roles reverse…. although Gen X navigating the social care crisis are beginning to shout it from the rooftops….

You’re juggling kids, life, work... and suddenly, your parents need you.

It’s not just a ‘phase.’ It’s the squeeze.

Sure we have mummy influencers, what about eldercare influencers?

No influencers, no viral posts about the emotional and logistical juggle of caring for ageing parents while raising children.

We are ageing differently, with medical conditions and carers today need not just patience and good bedside manner but frankly a medical degree….

Nor are we given the space to talk about the exhaustion of it, or the complexity of stepping into roles we never imagined we'd play.

We need to talk about eldercare…. its impact on ourselves, our finances, our relationships,

We may think that looking after our parents is similar to parenting our children, but this is a false comparison.

When you have children, it is a full dunk immersion into round-the-clock care from the moment they are born with a (mostly) compliant being who can’t yet answer back; but the narrative arc of motherhood is essentially about gradually letting go.

When it comes to parenting a parent, it is the complete opposite.

Parenting the parent starts innocently and only increases in intensity, sometimes over decades, involving someone understandably reluctant and often uncompliant.

And all of this with someone with whom you have a complex emotional history.