Living with a parent that is bipolar is
in itself a house of horrors.
I lived with my Mother who has bipolar,severe depression
& PTSD.
Fortunately Mom is now on meds so she is stabilized but
there are other challenges...she is aging.
Mom is a senior citizen she suffers from chronic pain.
It's difficult having a parent who has mental illness, suffers
from chronic pain and aging all at once!
I get overwhelmed all the time.
She has one close friend but they don't talk much.
Her friend has lost 3 or 4 of her 7 children so the majority
of the time? She doesn't keep in touch.
Kind of challenging when your your Mothers only child & she is
constantly telling you about your chronic pain.
I do what I can & tell her to resume her acupuncture appointments & continue going regularly.
I was able to get her on a paratransit transport. They are those shuttle type of vans for seniors & the physically disabled & those vans go everywhere. I remember I filled out her application to apply, while I was in a manic mood. Amazing the things you can do under a manic episode.
I wished that on here P.C. that they would have a category for adult children who have aging parents.
Its very much needed.
Because I don't have any support.
And as I've said I often get overwhelmed with how
to deal with my Mother.

Being almost overwhelmed is part of the service we render our parents in
their elderly years, Tormented and Tortured. I cared for my mother following a stroke, and before it was all over I wasn't doing it for her, I was doing it for God. That's how strenuous it can be.

If you are a spiritual person, your faith will carry you through much of it,
but you will need some breaks along the way to restore your feeling tone.
Try to arrange for someone to come in and give special care while you
go out for dinner or shopping or something to have some quiet time of your own.

You should face the fact that your mother will eventually need to be in a nursing home, so try to prepare for that. Visit her there each day and then go on about the things you need to do to protect your own family and life. Mother always appreciated flowers and looking at wall paper catalogs with me for use in our home.

Surprisingly simple things are very much appreciated by them.

My heart goes out to you because I've been there and done that and
know what you're going through. It's a service that we render for God,
I believe, and our parents are entitled to our attention in their elderly
years if we can do it for them.

Take care of yourself and use meditation and other helpful readings to
stabilize your emotions when the pain of knowing your parent is growing
weaker touch your heart. They will help make you strong for the long
run.

I have a lot of respect for your efforts.