Answered a question 12/13/2008 at 9:07 pm
Listen, folks .... truth be told ... no one as an adult really WANTS their parents living with them. That's not the point --- hell, if we based our decision on whether we WANTED dad with us, we'd hav
...Read MoreListen, folks .... truth be told ... no one as an adult really WANTS their parents living with them. That's not the point --- hell, if we based our decision on whether we WANTED dad with us, we'd have never brought him here. We're happily married for 21 years, with two great teenage sons. We value our privacy and free time. And donating our TIME to care for dad is actually harder than paying money to have some facility do it. We don't need the hassle of extra work for our elderly parents, or listening to their unsolicited (and sometimes angry) advice, and their embarrassing comments in public. We don't need all the extra errands, and work, and encroachment on our time. But HE needs us. So, the decision, instead, was based on what was best for my dad -- in lieu of all the different kinds of help he needs at his age, and whether we could trust strangers to do it as we would. It can be hard on us, and annoying, and seem like it's never-ending.
We DON'T get help from my only sibling, and we've given up expecting him to even have dad on his radar.
But make no mistake --- it's no "walk in the park" commiting to the indefinite care of an elderly parent. But if they don't HAVE to be warehoused somewhere with strangers taking care of them, than that's better. Some people don't want to do this and would never consider it. But life on earth is short. And I'm sure we'll look back on dad's last years and be glad we spent them with him and helped keep him company and ensure his happiness.