On the edge

Sitting in Church and suddenly realizing that things cannot continue as they have. 
In a split second all options were reviewed.

1.  Assisted living
Not assisted enough.
2.  Hired live in help
Would not know my Father.
3.  Nursing home
Not there yet.
4.  Me

After my Mother's first stroke, I asked each parent what they planned to do if the other was to pass away.
Dad asked to move in with me. 
Mom planned to stay in their condo.  Mom unfortunately cannot deal with numbers.  She can drive, grocery shop, sew a suit, and cook a 5 course meal, just don't ask her to balance a checkbook.  Ok, so she has a few speech issues too.
My Dad is 10 years older then my Mom with many medical issues, so  I already had groundwork laid in case anything happened to him.  My plan was that I would stay with my Mother for a year.  I figured that would give me time to set up money management and back-up assists for any occasion.

So I had made some plans, tried to prepare my friends, and start to wrap my brain around moving back to a place I left almost as soon as I received my H.S. diploma, oh so many years ago.

That's one deep dark rabbit hole.

Alice

Before the leap

It all started with one of those phone calls.  Well actually no, the first words I heard were, "well you know your mother is in the hospital . .  ."     Umm, no.    She had another stroke, this time on the opposite side.  Perfect.
 
I did all the things one needs to do to cross 740 miles to my mother's side.  Considering I did not know the situation I was flying into, (funeral, major damage, or not so bad), I felt prepared.

Though Mother recovered well, I realized within 3 days that major changes were needed.

Time to Jump Down that Rabbit Hole.

Hi, I'm Alice.