Thread:Betty2015/@comment-28694170-20161015111552/@comment-29326205-20161015130416

I'm so sorry to hear of your dad's health issues. My dad has Parkinson's, too, along with congestive heart failure. He's been in a nursing home since the end of April while Mom is still in an assisted living facility, 2.5 miles away. What makes it harder is that I'm 600 miles away. I visit every couple of months, but it's not the same as living in the same town.

With the lack of independence forced on him the nursing home - not allowed to stand or move on his own, not allowed to go to the toilet by himself - I wonder if it would be at least slightly more dignified if his death came earlier rather than later. He also has hallucinations brought on by the Parkinson's. Some are benign but others are cruel and terrifying. He called me almost in tears because "Your mother is leaving me!" I tried to convince him that isn't going to happen, but it was real to him. Given his quality of life and level of unhappiness at his loss of independence, I really wonder if replacing his pacemaker in July was the right decision.

You're not alone. There are many of us with aging parents, trying to do our best to make informed decisions about their health care. Sending prayers your way~