I was a caregiver to my parents until they passed. I want better for my son. I have MS, doing well now. I guess I shouldn't live with him?

I don't see where he could be taking advantage. I see a young widower trying to deal with 3 children, one having special needs. My SIL lost jobs because of a SN child she was raising. Employers are not sympathetic to needing to take time off for Dr. visits. I see two people helping each other. The problem is going to arise when the MS gets worse. My cousin did well but she had a husband who literally did everything. He worked f/t. He came home and cooked, cleaned, did the wash. TG she could be left alone in the beginning later on he was retired. The cost of the meds were staggering.

I agree, you and son need to sit down and talk with no distractions. No kids interrupting. I know, that could be hard. Are there other grands that could babysit.

Your son may love having you around. Ur a woman's influence for the kids. You may find out that at this point it works. But you do need to think about your future. Son cannot care for you and 3 children too.
There's Medicaid homecare. Medicaid LTC. Where I live there are HUD apts that are pretty nice. They take 30% of your income as rent. All u pay is electric and TV. There are Senior buses. What I am saying is I think its great you are looking ahead. Always be open with son and tell him to be open for him. Does he miss work because of appts. Do you drive? If not, maybe you can use a Senior bus to take gchild to appts. Depending on the childrens ages they should be taught how to do things around the house.

I would suggest having an open and honest conversation with your son about the future, your wishes, his wishes and the needs you both have. Then work out a plan that works for both of you before the need to make those choices actually arises. Some adult children happily care for failing loved ones while others may be unsuited for the task. Every family is different and only you and your son can make these choices for you.

Sounds like you're doing a LOT for your son!

But--you shouldn't be suffering financially so he can manage.

You're only 66? That's still young and you have many years still...

TALK to your son and see if this is working for him, what he would like to see, 2, 5 years down the road. The kids will grow up and leave, but I imagine they are fairly young still. Do you do a lot for them, care-wise, or does your own health prevent that?

If you feel you are a burden, you can look into 55+ housing that is gov't subsidized. A one bedroom apt would be all you'd need, and with health issues, you don't want the hassle of a large place. You can still work PT and retain benefits of subsidized housing--if you want.

It's really between you and your son. Sounds a little like he's taking advantage of you. Only you can make that decision.

As you read these post you must remember a lot of negative comments are just caregivers venting because they feel safe to do so here and everybody needs a safe zone for venting caregiver or not 😉
now as far as moving out I think the person you should be discussing this with is your son you are probably a lot more help then hindering to him. My mother is 94 and lives with me and I wouldn’t have it any other way, are some days emotionally and physically demanding? Absolutely! But trust me when I say just knowing that I am doing for her all the things she so lovingly has done for me makes it All worth while. Now as far as the MS goes yes your condition may degenerate as time goes on but you may never have any new episodes/legions and stay as you are now and could actually improve. Spoken from experience as my brother had MS and went from initial diagnosis in wheelchair to walking sticks to cane and actually was walking totally on his own before he passed of heart failure. Bless you as you travel this journey and enjoy those grand babies.

You say that like it's a bad thing. Lol, okay that was bad I admit but seriously, if your son has talked with you about this, then let him see you "less than" when your MS flares up. Seriously, there's nothing wrong with being vulnerable in front of your son. Doing so means your strong as his Mother and you raised him in a very loving way. Talk to him and see what he thinks about sharing quarters. No two parents have the same relationship with their kids, but you know your son as his mother better than anyone else. By talking with him about the options as one adult to another, I'm sure you'll find a solution that you can both agree on together.

Are you on Medicare, since you are age 66? I'd look into that, as well as Medicaid, for the future, if you need it. It seems that you used the two interchangeably and they are very different programs. Just don't want you to overlook what you are entitled to. I hope you can work it out. In my early childhood, there were 4 generations of my family under one roof. It was awesome and there were so many benefits. It's not for everyone, but, for some the benefits are priceless.

You mentioned not qualifying for Medicaid because you have too much income. You may want to speak with an attorney who specializes in elder law about a millers trust This will enable you to keep some money in trust and be eligible for services. There are tiered senior places that offer independent, assisted, memory care and skilled nursing and will accept medicaid if money runs out so you won’t be kicked out. However first talk with your son. Hope this helps.

with his special-needs child your son will need your help and you are someone he can trust with his child. from the information you provided, I believe you would be better off if you two live together, and he can pay you something. baby sitters are not cheap. with you around there is no reason why he should have to take time off from work. now if there are other family dynamics you should know best whether to move out or not.

thanks I appreciate that this is a venting site. totally understood. And yes, everyone needs to vent. "But after reading the pain and heartache my living with him MIGHT cause I think I should maybe just go travel to another country. " I do not live with my son right now. I would not do that. I am having trouble breathing today because of the heat. He actually told me that he was sorry I was frustrated with him...you see guys on this site, in the heat at 6:50 pm in Georgia after standing trying to discuss business with him, I was having trouble breathing. That made me sigh and made my voice crackle like Neil Cavuto...and this isn't the first time he mistook my disease as being frustration. And that is why I said, I think after hearing the venting that you can do, and knowing he won't be able to vent anywhere I should go live further away. However, I did catch that his brake line was leaking while we were standing there. I'm short and he's tall so I was looking down as he was venting on my sounding frustrated. Hint: there is always a silver lining if you look for it. So when you can't take anymore of your abusive parents, then by all means, go to a happy place in your mind even if its following an ant trail under a work truck. I am not living with a son. I gave him the bad news that there will be no more monetary help due to Medicaid rules. I'm not signing my house over to him. he has his own. I cried last night because I wake up at 4 am every morning, miss getting hugs, hate where I live. love the neighbors, its the busy road behind me that wakes me up. I have my input from all you wonderful folk. I can take it from here. Thanks!

Perhaps try talking with a geriatric case worker. They know the facilities around you, and may be able to help you find one that will work with the money you have. An elder lawyer can also help you protect both you and your son in regards to the Medicaid look back. Hugs to you!