When you find yourself wondering if it's really safe to leave the parent alone in the house then it's time for MC or NH. Are you worrying about them starting a fire with a heater or the stove? Concerned they may not hear or respond to the fire alarms? Are they likely to go for a walk and not be able to find their way home? Are they keeping old/spoiled food in the fridge?
Alternatively, it could be when you realize your parent is afraid to be alone in the house, maybe they would be better in AL when someone is always around.
When my mother had hip replacement surgery I came home to find tables and vases blocking the hallway to the bedrooms. My father with hearing loss, paranoid personality disorder and mild vascular dementia was worried someone could enter the house and get into the bedroom before he would know they were there. It was my first recognition that my father was afraid and it came at a time when he was still driving with no problems. Twenty years later with his dementia advanced he quickly adapted to MC in large part I believe because there is always someone around. I think a lot of his not wanting my mother to ever leave the house over those 20 years was driven by his fear. After entering MC, he no longer has panic attacks and has been weaned off the anxiety meds he took for over a decade.
Alternatively, it could be when you realize your parent is afraid to be alone in the house, maybe they would be better in AL when someone is always around.
When my mother had hip replacement surgery I came home to find tables and vases blocking the hallway to the bedrooms. My father with hearing loss, paranoid personality disorder and mild vascular dementia was worried someone could enter the house and get into the bedroom before he would know they were there. It was my first recognition that my father was afraid and it came at a time when he was still driving with no problems. Twenty years later with his dementia advanced he quickly adapted to MC in large part I believe because there is always someone around. I think a lot of his not wanting my mother to ever leave the house over those 20 years was driven by his fear. After entering MC, he no longer has panic attacks and has been weaned off the anxiety meds he took for over a decade.