When it became painfully evident that Dad, at 90 years of age, needed daily, full-time care, as the only daughter of five living in the same city, I moved him in with me. I had help from my son and an agency caregiver for some activities.
Ultimately, I was responsible for his bills, his doctors’ appointments, getting him to and from dialysis three times a week and caring full time for Dad on the weekends. It was challenging while maintaining a full-time job and very surprising to me that I had little support from my immediate boss when it came to my schedule and much needed time off.
I would suggest connecting with a caregiver support community. Still, those three too-short years – William Odell Maxwell passed away in September 2014 – were a blessing and a gift and brought me and my family some of our best moments in life. My father was a magnificent human being and a beautiful man. We all love and miss him very much.
Source: AARP Caregiver Stories
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