I'm the only one left to care for my Dad who has PD. Should I start caring for him full time?

How old are you? What state do you live in dear? How will you afford to do this?

Does your dad have any resources that can be used to hire some caregivers to come in to help your dad? Would he be able to afford going to an assisted living? If neither of these will work, would he qualify for medicaid?

How old is your dad? How close are you to your own retirement? Do you have anyone in your immediate family other than yourself?

You can search this site and find many painful stories of those who have given up their careers, the businesses they've own, their homes, their own retirement and savings to become their parent's 24/7 caregiver and it just becomes physically and emotionally as well as financially too much.

I hope that you can find a way to get more care for your dad without having to through your job, your health and your own retirement preparation under the bus.

Your entire life will change, and so will you, not just your lifestyle. Please, do some research, spend time reading the posts, ask questions, as you are starting to do. Then do some deep soul-searching to make sure you are really willing. It's easy to think you are and say you are. This will be the most difficult job of your life, there is no time off. Make sure you have support from others - you cannot do this alone. If you have any dysfunction in your family, be prepared for the worst of it to come from the most unexpected places. If you decide that you are up to it and have all the resources you need at your fingertips, good luck. Some of it will be really good for you. There is an incredible feeling of worth and value that caregiving will bring to you. But most of it will not be fun, be incredibly hard work, without many or any "thank you's" and it can ruin every aspect of your life, too. And it will change who you are and you may or may not like who you become.