I heartily agree. My Dad with dementia has been with us for 5 years. He and I were always like gas and matches, and everyone thought it would be impossible.
I'm convinced he'd be dead by now if we had shuffled him off to a "home".
It isn't easy, but it's right.
I thank God for this time, it's been healing. And, I thank God for my husband for all the help he gives.
I think what you said in your post #58 is very important...often, if there has been a problem, or friction between adult children and their parents, often its the very act of taking care of the parents, which eventually resolves the problem...its a pleasant by-product, one which often the childen do not realize will occur...and by taking care of ones parents, often we learn things about them and about ourselves that we did not know...it can be a wonderful learning experience...