Are you struggling to find a balance between protecting your parents while not infringing on their need for an independent life?  If so, you are not alone.

This may be one of the toughest decisions we ever have to make. Even if you know it is the right thing to do, placing your parents in assisted living or a nursing home is a gut wrenching decision. It can bring on feelings of enormous guilt, sadness and pain. No matter how much you tell yourself you are doing the right thing it just doesn’t feel right.

I know, I have been there.  But if you become unable to physically care for your parent or there safety is at risk , there may not be an alternative. Here are some things to consider:

• Not paying household bills on time or at all
• Not recognizing need for necessary household repairs and maintenance
• Safe driving becomes challenging (increase in violations, frequently lost)
• Has poor nutrition (doesn’t prepare meals or misses meals completely)
• Neglects  personal hygiene (dirty hair/nails, poor oral hygiene, body or urine odor,  dirty clothes)
• Loses track of medications (missed or over-doses, misplaces pill bottles)
• Reluctant to leave house (doesn’t visit friends/family, sleeps long periods,uninterested in usual hobbies)
• Declining mobility (shows difficulty going up and down stairs, walks unsteady on level ground)
• Shows poor udgment (making decisions that would likely cause harm to self or others)

If you or someone you know needs caregiver support, please schedule an appointment with an iTherapy counselor to discuss your family’s needs.