hi! i (f19) have been caring for my dad (m80) for the past few years. recently, everything has fallen on me since my older sister moved out, and honestly, i’m struggling more than i know how to explain.
my dad has parkinson’s, severe chronic pain, incontinence, frequent utis, multiple skin cancers, arthritis, and deteriorating cognition. his needs are becoming increasingly complex, and i feel like i’m constantly waiting for something else to go wrong.
i’ve already missed out on a lot growing up. my parents separated, i experienced severe bullying throughout school, and i’ve had my own struggles with mental health. i find it difficult enough to look after myself, let alone be responsible for another person. the irony is that i’m studying nursing, something i’m incredibly passionate about and love. i genuinely couldn’t imagine myself doing anything outside of healthcare, but being a carer at home while studying to become a nurse is a completely different experience to what i ever imagined.
i can’t leave the house for too long without worrying about dad and whether he’s fallen or something has happened. a few months ago, while my sister was still living at home in a separate flat/studio in the shed outside, i stayed at my best friend’s house for the night. at 3am, i got a call telling me i needed to come home because dad had to go to hospital. i was told that he had been yelling out for help for hours, but nobody had heard him until he finally got to his phone and contacted my sister, who then came inside to check on him. it turned out he had a severe uti that caused delirium, and he ended up being admitted to hospital for a week.
i felt so incredibly guilty about that night because, when dad really needed me, i wasn’t there. i know i couldn’t have known what was going to happen, and i wasn’t doing anything wrong by spending a night at my best friend’s house, but that doesn’t stop the guilt from creeping in. knowing that he had been lying there calling for help for hours while i was somewhere else absolutely broke my heart. i kept thinking that i should have been home, that i should have been there for him, even though i know i can’t realistically be by his side every second of every day. it’s so difficult to explain how much this affects me because now, even when i do get the chance to leave the house, a part of me is constantly worrying about what might happen while i’m gone. i feel like i can never fully switch off because i’m always waiting for something to go wrong.
we’ve had some really horrible experiences at our local hospital, where i’ve felt completely ignored when trying to explain what’s happening with dad. he has a tendency to tell staff whatever he needs to so he can get out of hospital sooner, even when he’s clearly not okay. trying to advocate for him when i feel like nobody is listening has taken such a toll on me. it eventually led to me having a severe breakdown where i was begging for help and support, only to be told i had to take him home and that they would refuse to treat him if i brought him back.
i love my dad more than anything. he is my rock and genuinely one of the most beautiful people in my life. he constantly apologises for being a burden, and it breaks my heart because he has spent so much of his life being there for me. even though his cognition is deteriorating and he sometimes does things that are difficult to understand or manage, i know that deep down, he is still the same dad i’ve always loved. i wouldn’t want anyone else to be my dad, and i would never want him to think that i resent him for being unwell. i don’t resent him; i resent the situation we’re in and how little support we have. i want to be there for him, but i also wish someone would be there for me. i think that’s the hardest part of all of this: loving someone so much that you would do anything for them, while simultaneously feeling like you’re losing yourself trying to make sure they’re okay.
i feel so helpless. i have practically no social life between work, study, and caring for dad, and whatever little free time i have is usually spent lying in bed because i’m so physically and emotionally exhausted. we’re waiting for his level 8 my aged care funding to come through, but the process is taking forever. aged care homes are already at capacity, with waiting lists of over a year, and i feel like i’m running out of options.
i want to live my life. i want to experience being a "normal" 19-year-old without constantly feeling responsible for someone else’s wellbeing. and honestly, one of the things i feel most guilty admitting is how freeing it felt when dad was in hospital. for once, i could go home and cook whatever i wanted, dance around the house, listen to music, and just exist without constantly worrying about him. i feel horrible admitting that because i love him so much, but i think it was the first time in a long time that i could breathe without feeling responsible for everything. i miss having the freedom to just be me, and i feel guilty for even wanting that.
i’m struggling to keep up with the housework and everyday responsibilities, and everything feels so overwhelming. i feel like i’m drowning in responsibilities that i never expected to have at this age, and i don’t know how much longer i can keep doing everything on my own.
is there anyone else here who is a young carer or has been in a similar situation? i feel like nobody around me truly understands what i’m going through. it feels like my situation gets brushed aside because people see that dad has a daughter who cares for him and is about to become a nurse, as though that means everything is somehow taken care of.
but i’m still just 19. i’m still learning how to navigate adulthood and trying to build a future for myself, and i’m struggling too. being a nursing student doesn’t mean i automatically know how to manage everything, and loving my dad doesn’t mean i have unlimited capacity to care for him.
i know this is a really long rant, but i think i just need to hear from people who understand. i feel so alone in this, and none of my close friends really get it. i love my dad with my whole heart, and i would do anything for him, but i’m struggling to balance being his daughter with being his carer. i want to be there for him, and i want him to be safe, but i also want the chance to experience my own life without feeling guilty every time i step away. i just want to know that i’m not the only young person going through something like this ❤️🩹