When Child Becomes the Caregiver: Navigating a Parents’ Transition

Dr. Tyra Oldham.Life can be fragile and challenging at times. Furthermore, it can be more complex when children become their parents’ caregivers. The transition is unavoidable when children become caregivers, and the process can be stressful, time-consuming, and involve a mental shift in role reversal and responsibilities. If the caregiver is an only child, the complexity can be contrastingly different than in families with siblings that can hopefully find a balance to share responsibilities while selecting a primary caregiver.The transition for children as caregivers requires additional support from professionals, either mental or spiritual, which can be a positive choice to success, specifically in the Black and Brown communities where counselors, psychologists, and psychiatrists are not as readily accepted as a means of health recovery or support. Brandon C. Brown, MSW, LSW and, Carmita N. Brown, MA, LLPC, shares, “Whether you are in the midst of caring for someone you love or if you are working to plan ahead for when the time comes with your family, there is hope and help to aid in assisting your loved one in receiving quality care. As mental health professionals, we are advocates for the acknowledgement and elimination of stress and burnout which can...