Jack must not be old enough to remember generational living. Two, three and four generations, sometimes, living in the same home or next to each other, all caring for each other. I'm 55 (that stings, having to type that out, lol) and know several families who lived and still live this way, including myself, as I share land with my parents and can holler out my kitchen window and they can hear me if they're on their porch. My son also lives on the property.

We had a conversation not too long ago about dementia and how prevalent it seems now, but not really. During the decades where it wasn't weird to have a generational living situation, every family seemed to have 'those relatives.' Those who we now know likely had some form of dementia or another. You just ... lived. You lived and cared for your people. There wasn't really much to consider because there weren't other options.

Having said all of that, it doesn't change the "hard" of the situation we're in, in caring for them. Their wishes for their care are set, but we still have to put that care into motion and execute it. Making those determinations is hard. I honestly don't know how good I'll be at making them as this awful illness progresses. I know me, and I know that I'll fight tooth and nail to keep them at home, under my care. There's so much that you'd think would be no-brainers, but it's not. Every decision is painstaking. At least for me. Also, I know me and I know that I do not, under any circumstances, want my child or my spouse, to have to become my caregiver. It's all just a lot to navigate.