In order to do the right thing.

I know a couple. A kind-hearted couple. They've invited her elderly parents to live with them. Both have dementia. Maybe Alzheimer's. For three years now, they've all lived in the same house. Yes, it's togetherness. To the fullest. In all that time, the couple haven't had so much as 24 continuous hours of alone time together. One-on-one time. I tell them, I don't think that's good. You need to consider placing the parents in assisted living. Because you are care-givers. And first of all, in order to be decent care-givers, you need to learn to take care of yourselves. I can see the stress and strain. In their faces. I can hear it in their voices. In their words. Even the thought of placing the parents makes them feel guilty. Makes them sacrifice beyond the reasonable. They find it so difficult getting outside of themselves. To take an objective look. In order to do the right thing. For the parents. For themselves. --Jim Broede