As many as 10 million children in the U.S. may provide some form of care at home, according to researcher Melinda Kavanaugh. Some kids are the only caregivers patients have, while others fill in when visiting nurses or other help is not available.
Kavanaugh and other researchers say the number of young caregivers is growing, and they need support. Caregiving is a task that children like Ronan and Keaton take seriously and something that their mom hopes will shape them into empathetic, strong young men.
She holds up a laminated letter board and asks the kids to try. Evie silently points to every letter in her name.Keaton nods. Doctors diagnosed Rupesh Kotiya with ALS in October 2014, a month before his boys turned 4 and 2. Ronan and Keaton have no memories of him without the illness. Pandya, a senior director with the skin care and cosmetics company Mary Kay, has daytime and evening caregivers for her husband during the week. But she has no paid assistance overnight or on the weekends, so the boys have had to step up.Pandya tries to balance the boys’ caregiving with activities that offer some normalcy. Keaton takes tennis lessons and coding classes. Ronan plays striker on a youth soccer team.Both boys play piano, and Keaton paints prolifically.
Therapist Sarah Sutton recently had the boys draw up bucket lists of things they want to do with their dad. “We play out conflict. We play out resolution. We play out the stories that are going on inside us,” Sutton says.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Young caregivers 'exist in the shadows,' offer crucial helpMillions of Americans with serious health problems depend on children to provide some form of care for their families. Young caregivers balance being a kid with grown-up responsibilities that often go unnoticed outside the home.
Read more »
Young caregivers 'exist in the shadows,' offer crucial helpMillions of Americans with serious health problems depend on children ages 18 and younger to provide some or all of their care at home.
Read more »
Young caregivers 'exist in the shadows,' offer crucial helpMillions of Americans with serious health problems depend on children ages 18 and younger to provide some or all of their care at home.
Read more »
Do Trojan exoplanets exist?Investigating these co-orbiting worlds in our own solar system may help us predict prevalence in extrasolar systems.
Read more »
Former ‘Bachelorette’ Michelle Young denies Nayte Olukoya split rumors“Just a friendly reminder that Nayte and I, we are human beings, not a zoo exhibit,” Young asserted to fans who questioned her for briefly removing her engagement ring.
Read more »
See Bradley Cooper’s transformation as young and old Leonard BernsteinNetflix released the first look of Bradley Cooper’s stunning transformation into Leonard Bernstein for the upcoming film “Maestro.”
Read more »