Once you have seen the drama in the aging dysfunctional family and know each adult child’s role plus the conflict it causes– then what do you do next ? You become Wonder Woman ( or man? )
You use your extensive aging life- geriatric care manager tool box to realign the roles to get care for the aging client. Here’s three steps:
Superhero task 1
The Aging Life or geriatric care manager must identify existing power dynamics within the family, redefine responsibilities to achieve generational maturity, and realign roles and tasks for each family member.
Superheroine task 2
The Aging Life or GCM should encourage a new two-way nurturing relationship between the adult child and the parent that may not have previously existed.
Superhero/heroine task 3
At the same time, the Aging Life or GCM must enable the adult child as caregiver to set limits that are appropriate to a mature relationship.
The GCM emboldens the adult child to identify and remove himself or herself from triangulated, fused, or other destructive family patterns.
This is not for the faint of heart . It is for a highly skilled and educated care manager and successful practioneer- in others words Wonder Woman.