Friends, Family & Carers Forum

[Steve3]

I  and my wife are 66 years old and my son aged 38 is suffering from schizophrenia for last 18 years. We are taking care of him and managing his mental condition all these years. I am wondering what will happen when we die. Who will take care of him and how. If somebody has the experience please share it with me.

[tyme]

Hi there @Steve3 ,

I'm sorry to hear about your son. It must be difficult to have these thoughts about what will happen when you move on. You are not alone. Many carers find themselves questioning this.

Does your son have NDIS? As much as possible, supporting your son to be independent is so important. Encouraging him to go out with social workers or support workers to start off with may be worth considering if he isn't already.

If your son is linked in with area mental health, it may be worth speaking to them. 

In my area, there are continued care units (CCU) for people who need ongoing mental health support. In these units, people either have a unit to themselves, or they share with someone. Rent is a certain percentage of their income. There are doctors on site and nurses around the clock. They are specially designed for those who need longer term accommodation because of their mental health.

I wish you all the best and hope you are able to support you son in the best way possible. At the same time, don't forget your own mental health and wellbeing.

Take care, 

tyme

[Steve3]

Hi

My son independently lives in our granny flat. He is on disability support pension. He is on NDIS and a support worker takes him out every Tuesday for 2 hours. He cooks breakfast and snacks in his own flat. He takes dinner and lunch with us. He is on medication  and sees GP and specialist regularly. We organise his finance and other related services. In our absence who is going to do that? We are trying to teach him cooking but not sure how to organise finance in our absence. Please advise if you have experience.