I have an 82 yr old mother who lives with me and my husband. I am the only child, I work full time and will be retiring in May 2023.

I’d be looking for places for mom to spend the week you’ll be in Aruba, local senior facilities that offer respite care. You need and deserve a break and a life outside of caregiving. I hope you won’t miss the opportunity

I think that you are correct to be concerned. I cannot know the full circumstances for your Mom. I also am unaware of what you mean by "medical guardian"--is this a device she can wear that will call for help should she collapse. Only you know your Mom's full medical condition, the amount of help she is needing daily and the "near misses" that might have been catastrophic were you not there. So only you can make this decision, weighing everything. I believe I would discuss with Mom and see if she has resources for a sitter care 24/7, two shifts will run you a MINIMUM of 600.00 for that week, but will mean safety for Mom. Would also look into respite care and see if there can be an accommodation made for her. You truly must need your OWN respite and I surely do wish you luck.

Time to consider outside assistance; you can't sustainably take care of Mom alone, especially working full-time. (As for being an only child, many people have found they may as well be such for all the support they get from their sibs.) Make use of what your community has to offer; www.dracutma.gov/council-on-aging is a good starting point.

For the trip, look into options for respite care, in or out of the home. Long-term, well before May (congrats on that!), are you really planning to be a 24/7 caregiver or are there more trips in store?

A family discussion about expectations would help tremendously. Be calm, be honest, be assuring, and be firm.

Best wishes for finding resources for you and your family and for a satisfying retirement.