Do You Owe Your Parents Care If They Hurt You? w/ Dr. Joshua Coleman

What happens when an estranged parent becomes sick, dependent, or close to death?

In this episode of The Caregivers Podcast, Dr. Mark Ropeleski speaks with Dr. Joshua Coleman, clinical psychologist and author of The Rules of Estrangement: Why Adult Children Cut Ties and How to Heal the Conflict, about family estrangement, caregiving, guilt, boundaries, and end-of-life decisions.

They discuss why adult children cut ties with parents, how abuse, neglect, divorce, mental illness, addiction, and old family roles can shape estrangement, and what happens when caregiving responsibilities suddenly return during illness or terminal decline.

This conversation is for caregivers, adult children, siblings, grandparents, and families facing difficult questions like:

Do I owe care to a parent who hurt me?
Can I help without reopening the relationship?
How do siblings make decisions when they remember the family differently?
Is reconciliation possible near the end of life?
How do I set boundaries without being consumed by guilt?

If you are navigating caregiving, estrangement, hospice, aging parents, or complicated family dynamics, this episode offers a thoughtful look at how to make decisions you can live with later.

Click here to watch a video of this episode.

Support Our Guest:
▶️ Rules of Estrangement: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/622584/rules-of-estrangement-by-joshua-coleman-phd/
▶️ https://www.drjoshuacoleman.com

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