Will you put your parents in a nursing home?

[honeychile]

Originally posted by chicagoagd


While it's wonderful that most people don't want to put their parents into a nursing home, if there is a high level of care, it's been documented that many feel resentment toward those they have to take care of. My mom wants to spend quality time with my grandma (because you can tell she's beginning to fade), but she was simply too exhausted when she had to provide the daily care for her.

As someone who makes her living in geriatric counseling, I know this to be the truth! Senile dementia or Alzheimers are so exhausting to the caregivers, I can understand how so many murder/suicides happen in this scenario. Just changing a parent's diaper is not the easiest thing to do - imagine doing that 10-15 times a day. And for those of you who haven't had the joy of the adult diaper, it's much, much different than changing a baby.

I would do my best to keep my mama home as long as humanly possible, especially since, genetically, she has a great chance of being sharp until the end. But I'd have no remorse in getting in-home care on a regular basis. We've had too good a relationship to end up with bitter memories of each other.