Taking care of an aging parent is a big deal. There is a lot of responsibility in looking after an elderly person. And if you couple age with illness like dementia or Alzheimer's disease, the responsibilities can be overwhelming.
A Will County jury could have have thought that such pressures were too much for 58-year-old Scott Sullivan to bear, but he was convicted of killing his 86-year-old father. His elderly father suffered from Alzheimer's and apparently needed help bathing, getting around, and other aspects of life that many of us take for granted, reports the Chicago Sun-Times.
Prosecutors say that the father was found on the floor of his son’s living room, lying on his back with pattern-mark bruises from head to toe, reports the Sun-Times. Sullivan claimed that his father likely fell and that his bruises may have been due to previous falls.
As Sullivan awaits sentencing, you should know that there are steps people can take to avoid being placed in a situation where they feel overwhelmed about caring for an elderly parent.
The obvious step is to seek help. There is no shame in getting help from an assisted care living facility, nurses, or other caretakers. People should assess their situations realistically, and make decisions not out of guilt for not caring for a parent, but based on the facts of their situation.
Scott Sullivan was convicted of killing his aging parent. Before he found himself in this situation, he should have considered giving up the care of his parent to another. While he may have felt guilty, he would not have been found guilty.
Related Resources:
- Find a Chicago Family Law Attorney (FindLaw)
- Will County man guilty in fatal beating of dad, 86 (Chicago Tribune)
- Checklist: Recognizing The Signs Of Elder Abuse (FindLaw)
- Abuse of Elderly Man by Wife and Son (FindLaw’s Chicago Family Law Blog)
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