I Love my Father, But..........

I love my Dad, and I want to help him, but some days I don't know how. I feel so guilty. He gave everything he had to help me be who I am today and now he seems so... helpless, so confused.... and other times he is angry and belligerent. He can be so stubborn at times! He gets something in his head and you can't tell him any different, no matter how hard you try...... I don't know what to do! He can't live by himself anymore. He forgets to eat or he turns on the stove and forgets to turn it off. I am afraid he will set the house on fire on day.... I try to talk some sense into him, but you think he will listen? NO, not my father, he is so stubborn, so bound and determined he is going to be independent. What am I going to do? I can't stay there with him all the time, I have my own family to care for and run after. He makes me so angry! I just want him to be safe. I want him to be OK.

Many of us in the "Sandwich Generation" face this same dilemma. How do we take care of our own family and our parent at the same time. When you are faced with this situation, it is easy to get overwhelmed by emotions. To feel so responsible that it is hard to think clearly. Over the next few days and weeks, I will be discussing this situation at length.

What help is available for us? Is there anyone to help us make the decision? How do we know what is the right thing to do? How do we "do the right thing" and not feel guilty?