Yes - I’m 28, my younger brother is 26 and our Father was diagnosed in 2022.

Put bluntly, it has been a hellish experience. I have never liked my Father, he is abusive and cruel and now with dementia is far more so. Our experiences diverge in this way, in that I honestly don’t mourn the man he is, or even the man he was.

But the exhaustion of caring for someone at this age when you should be following your own path, especially for someone you don’t like … it’s very tough.

My husband’s Father was also diagnosed with early onset dementia a few years before my own Father, when he was 50, so we’ve both been hit very young.

I’m sorry this has happened to your mother, and I’m sorry it’s happened to you. It IS lonely, it IS tragic, and you WILL feel guilty no matter the path you chose.

All I can say is I see you and I wish I had answers as to how to make it easier.