How much does a child owe a sick elderly parent?

This question makes be sad because I would hope that my children never feel they owe me, but that they care for me because they want to.

In answer to your question, if it's about paying back what's owed. I say you owe your parent the same respect and care they gave you.

Beyond all counting and computing.

ummm love?

I suppose it depends on the bill the sick elderly parent made up.

As much as this sucks to say, children don't necessarily "owe" their parents anything. The parents chose to have children and cared for them because they wanted to.

I do believe that children should care for their parents when the time comes. It is the right thing to do. For example, both my parents are unemployed right now, but I have a job so I am always giving them half my paycheck. I do it because I want to, not because my parents expect me to. When parents begin to EXPECT things from their children, then that leads to resentment.

if the parent was abusive, the child owes nothing.

I took care of my Mom for over five years. She had Alzheimer's Disease. I did it by myself.

She didn't like me, told me so when I was in the 6th grade. She may have not been the best Mom, and I spent my entire life trying to make her like me. It didn't work.

Would I do it again? Yes, because so matter how she felt, I loved her.

Since I am the child of two sick and elderly parents, I feel uniquely qualified to speak on this. The house I live in is constantly mired in grief,guilt,and stress.I love my parents because they gave me a place to stay when I lost my job and the depression reached a more serious level.My Dad is very ill and has very little energy to visit someone or keep company with visitors.My sister after heavily depending on my mother and me to help her pay her bills has finally found s way out. They call to invite my mother and me over the July 4th weekend.Her relationship with my terminally ill father has her speaking harsh towards him.I can't make her see that our Dad is going to be leaving on his final flight and its a sad and very draining time for me and my parents. I wish her the best but wish she would stop downplaying my Dad's impending death.She wants Mom and I to go over to her house for a bar B Q but I'm really not in the mood for holiday activities and Mama refuses to leave Daddy's sick bed.

Everything down to your last breath.

It depends. My so called MOTHER is dying of colon cancer, but she abused me so much in so many ways. I feel I owe her nothing! She never gave me anything but a life of hell. Many times I wished I was dead because of her. Now God is punishing her.

Nothing.

everything you can spare, they gave you life raised you and now it's your turn

Having grown up in a very loving and respectful family, my siblings and I did take care of our sick elderly Mother. Would I do it again? A resounding YES. My parents both gave of themselves to their children and as their children, it was time to give back to them!