Last night I cooked a meal for me and my daughter who has schizophrenia. This is a skill you need to learn when you are a single dad who is a caregiver. There are many other skills that you need to learn.
It’s difficult to cope with a child who has a mental illness. Your quality of life suffers unless you develop coping skills.
From any rational point of view, to quote Margaret Atwood, I would be considered absurd to take on such a responsibility. But seen from an emotional and integrity point of view, it makes perfect sense. I am no martyr and do not want to consider myself one.
The responsible thing to do is to learn as much as you can about caregiving for a person who has schizophrenia or any other mental condition. I notice a lot more people these days suffering from mental conditions in there mature years such as Alzheimer’s.
There is support available. You can obtain support from psychiatric hospitals, local support groups for people with schizophrenia and bipolar and community-based organisations which focus on people with mental illnesses. Or you could approach someone like myself who is an experienced caregiver of 16 years and who’s taken the necessary courses to develop caregiver skills.
If you need help of any sort as a caregiver of a child with schizophrenia, let me know and we can arrange a brief coaching session at a very reasonable price (for those unable to afford the fee, all we require is a strong email motivation).
We can usually help – and if we don’t think we can, we say so.
We offer private and confidential coaching at affordable rates for parents with
children who have schizophrenia. Your first hour is free.
Click here to find out more.
