The Experience of Parenting a Child With Disability in Old Age

Background: There are growing numbers of older parents providing ongoing care for adults with disabilities. A parent's aging calls for a redefinition of parental care practices and roles in light of his or her own changing needs. Purpose: The current study aims to highlight the ways in which aging parents perceive and construct their parental role to adult children with disabilities at this point in their lives. Methods: An interpretive phenomenological analysis perspective was used. Data collection was performed through in-depth, semistructured interviews with 20 aging parents of children with developmental disabilities, followed by a content analysis. Results: Four patterns of parental identity emerged: "Being happy is his responsibility; I did my part," embracing aging needs; "I can do part-time worrying," a gradual letting go of parental roles; "I'm worn out, but I keep going. What choice do I have?" bearing the brunt; "I'm an old woman changing diapers," full-time parents. Conclusions: The findings enable a deeper understanding of the various ways in which parents cope with aging alongside caring for an adult child with disability. Hence, this study can serve as a framework for developing tailored and differential intervention methods for these families.