2 hours ago
1
Dear Annie: I am one of six siblings, and none of us lived closer than four hours from our mother as she grew older. That distance made everything harder. We did our best to keep an eye on her and noticed small changes whenever we visited. Over time, she began limiting how far she would drive, but she was still active, involved at her local senior center and surrounded by a wonderful support system of friends who checked on her and brought her food.
Some of my siblings worried we should insist that she move closer to one of us or into assisted living. But to me, it never seemed fair to pull her away from the community she knew and the independence she valued. She always said she would consider assisted living “when it was necessary,” but she also made it clear that she understood the risks of staying in her home and was willing to accept them in order to keep living life on her own terms.
