When Parents Grow Older

Support for Family Members
Between Responsibility, Love and Saying Goodbye
From my own experience, I know that there comes a moment in life when we realise: our parents are growing old.
Sometimes it happens quietly and gradually. Sometimes suddenly – through illness, a hospital stay or an approaching farewell.
Then many things begin to change. Roles shift, and we often suddenly find ourselves with a new responsibility: we increasingly support our parents in everyday life, stay by their side during hospital stays, make emotional decisions, take on their care or have to take the painful step of finding a place for them in a care home.
Often while we ourselves are in the midst of a demanding phase of life.
But this change of roles does not always happen with clarity. Parents are often unable or unwilling to recognise their
own increasing need for support. This can create tension between how they see themselves and what has long since become obvious to their family members. It becomes particularly difficult when dementia is involved. Conversations and attempts to resolve things are then often no longer possible, and emotional behaviour may also change. For family members, this can be confusing and additionally painful.
At the same time, old issues often resurface during this period. Everything that may have remained hidden or been pushed aside in everyday life can now come to the surface: unspoken conflicts, old hurts, an unfulfilled longing for closeness. Often accompanied by the wish to find peace.
And there is something else: when we are deeply connected to our parents through love, the thought of saying goodbye is painful in itself. We are confronted with questions of impermanence, death and letting go – and may need to learn to accept these dimensions of life with dignity as well.
How do I deal with all of this? How can I find peace when my parents are no longer able to contribute to that process?
This is precisely where there can be an opportunity to look within, bring inner processes to a close and let go. And this is where I can support you.
How I Can Support You
As a coach specialising in solution-focused coaching, Energetic Healing and mediumship, I support you through this particular phase of life – with sensitivity, clarity and a deep understanding of the dynamics that are now in motion.
In our work together, you can:
-
find greater inner calm, even when everything around you feels chaotic
-
find your place between caring for others, responsibility and caring for yourself
-
understand and release old emotional bonds and patterns so that you can act more freely
-
find a different way of dealing with unspoken pain and develop a greater sense of inner peace
-
feel a sense of connection even when words are no longer possible
-
navigate farewells with love and dignity – and without guilt
Possible Forms of Support
-
Individual session (in person, online or by telephone, 60 minutes)
-
Urgent energetic support during sensitive moments (e.g. hospital stays or the dying process)
-
Individualised support over several weeks
-
Remote energetic perception, followed by feedback in a conversation or audio message
-
If desired, the support can also include your parents, provided they wish to be involved and it feels right for everyone concerned.
Our coaching sessions have been particularly helpful to me in dealing with the challenges of caring for my two 95-year-old parents. I am becoming increasingly aware of which issues are truly theirs rather than mine, and where I can and need to set clear boundaries. I have learned how to establish healthier boundaries without overwhelming myself or feeling guilty, while still being there for them with love and compassion. I have also come to understand that many of the emotional wounds I experienced through my parents were certainly not intentional. Given their experiences during the war, they did the best they could within their circumstances. This understanding has helped me come to terms with the past and find peace. Thank you so much! Dr. Birgit Theunissen, MD May 2026
Corinnas support was especially valuable during my mother's illness and throughout the process of her passing. Over approximately nine months, my mother's physical and emotional health steadily deteriorated, bringing up many challenges for me as her only daughter. There were many times when I simply no longer had the strength to care for her adequately as she became increasingly frail, developed dementia and needed more and more support. She needed so much that I could not give her, and neither could any of her friends. Corinna was an immense help during this time. She accompanied my mother with such competence, compassion and care. Without the need for many words, she was simply there for her, working with her energetically and helping to transform stress and fear. This allowed a sense of peace and acceptance to emerge, even as my mother's dementia progressed and she struggled with her fear of dying. Corinna was a wonderful source of help and support, and I trusted her completely throughout the many intense hours she spent with my mother in her care home. My mother would repeatedly say, "She is a very good woman. She really knows what she's doing..." even though very few words were exchanged. With profound gratitude, I wholeheartedly recommend Corinna as a coach and compassionate companion through life's most challenging times. Warmest regards, Dr. Anja Henkell-Huppertz Bergisch Gladbach
Feedback
The emotional distress of being a family caregiver can become overwhelming: when roles suddenly have to change, when I am faced with the painful prospect of saying goodbye to someone I love, when the demands placed on me push me almost to the point of losing myself, when I have to let go of familiar and cherished routines, and when ways of relating to one another that I once took for granted suddenly fall apart. When anger and despair bring me close to breaking point, when all I want to do is run away, or when I am simply confronted with pain and helplessness, that is surely the time for me, even as a supposedly "healthy" and "strong" person, to seek help and energetic support. I speak from experience. Corinna Doerges accompanied me through this process with individual sessions, WhatsApp messages and phone calls. She helped me find a great deal of strength and love, both for myself and for my loved one. Thanks to her support, I did not sink into despair or lose heart. She strengthened my confidence in my intuition, encouraged me to listen to my inner voice and to act upon it. Through her intuitive sensitivity, she was able to connect with what was happening within me and help me gain clarity on a soul level. I came to understand that every emotion has its place and deserves to be acknowledged and felt. As Corinna herself described it, it was "like sailing close to the wind." I recommend her without reservation. Anette Geuer 19 May 2026
I would not have been able to accompany my husband through his dying process with such depth and sensitivity if I had not had Corinna Doerges by my side. She was able to empathically connect with my husband’s inner journey throughout the final days of his life in a way that was immensely helpful to both him and our entire family. This enabled all of us to respond with greater empathy, knowing what to do and say for him at the right time and at a pace that was right for him. Thank you, dear Corinna Doerges. Ursula S., Teacher
