Roles and Responsibilities Change
When a parent becomes sick with FTD many roles within your family and household will be forced to change.
The person with FTD
The person with FTD will not be able to perform the day-to-day duties they once regularly performed. Examples include cooking or cleaning the kitchen, driving to the grocery store, doing the laundry, fixing things around the house, or pulling weeds in the yard. Grandparents, relatives, friends, and perhaps even strangers who are paid to come into your home to help may be more involved in your life and help your family by performing some of the responsibilities and duties your sick parent is no longer able to do.
The well parent
The well parent may need to go to work. It’s almost like they have become a single parent taking care of the kids and managing everything for the household from food to finances, with all the extra duties and responsibilities of taking care of a sick spouse as well. They are now spread thin and have to fit so much more into the day than they used to.
More jobs (for you!) than ever
Now that your parent with FTD can’t help around the house as much, you and your brothers and sisters probably need to take on more responsibilities. You may even have to help take care of your mom or dad. It can be emotionally challenging to adjust to caring for your parent, rather than being the one who is cared for. It is not a responsibility a teenager should have to take on, and it doesn’t have to consume your life. Do your part to help out. However, if you feel you are being asked to do too much or your needs are not being met, speak up. Your well parent may not recognize that a different approach or more help is needed.
Constant change is a guarantee with FTD, so finding creative ways to work through the changes together is the best formula for a happier home life. You can watch video diaries in the Teens Like Me section for examples of how other teens are dealing with changes in their lives. You can also upload your own videos and share your own experiences.
