Teresa from Florida

Besides being a wife, a mom to a 5 year old and making sure that my 21 year old, who is out of state in college, has everything she needs, I am a caregiver to my 81 year old mother who suffers from dementia. Sometimes I feel that I don't know what I'm doing. So far she is only suffering from the memory loss and thank goodness she is still able to shower by herself and feed herself. But aside from taking her to doctor appointments, administering her medications and taking care of all her finances and needs, I am worried about what is to come. She lives with my husband, son and me and I wouldn't have it any other way. My mother made sure to let my siblings and I know that she never wanted to be placed in a nursing home. In complying with her wishes, I have come across several road blocks. So far I haven't been able to find low cost elder law attorneys to advise me on some issues that have arisen. And as lost as I feel at times, I haven't found any training for caregivers on the weekends. I cannot make it during the week because I have no one to watch my mother and 5 year old. I need to make sure that I am prepared to properly care for my mother as her health continues to deteriorate. And I definitely need help making sure that I have all of her things legally taken care of. Nothing prepared me for these challenges I'm facing. It has all been and continues to be a "learn as you go" method of moving forward and this worries me.