Understanding the Role of the Adult Child Caregiver

In this opening lesson, Professor Charles Knight defines what it means to become an adult child caregiver without reducing the role to a checklist of chores. The lesson frames caregiving as a practical, relational, and decision-making role that often develops gradually before anyone names it.

Learners will distinguish between helping, managing, advocating, and deciding; recognize common emotional pressures; and identify the first boundaries that protect both the parent’s dignity and the caregiver’s sustainability. Later lessons will go deeper into safety, health care, money, legal planning, housing, and family conflict.