Your friends may be going to the beach or on trips this summer, but you’ve been taking care of Mom and Dad – supervising meals, shopping, home repair, and doctor visits; handling bank accounts, taxes, complicated benefits, and medical bills; researching living arrangements, selling real estate, or cleaning out the homestead or storage space.  Maybe your siblings are sitting on their butts, maybe your seniors are making hurtful comments, saying crazy things or accusing you of stealing.  Bottom line – this sucks and it’s actually worse for YOUR health than it is for theirs. Please, please use Adult Day Care, respite care, any kind of break you can take from this very hard, thankless work!  When the time comes for full-time institutional care, please do it.  Yes, it’s very hard watching your parent decline but you must protect your own health, both emotional and physical.  Guilt, depression, and desperation are common in caregivers, so watch out!  Do your best and forgive yourself for the rest.