After DH and I moved out of state, I (being the only child) had to learn quickly to be a long-distance care giver. My ex-sil was a lifesaver in the beginning (she's a registered nurse.) But, ultimately, she did not want to be responsible for the increasing care that they needed. A conversation with an wise lady from Council on Aging said that my situation was like a snowball on the top of a hill - once it starts rolling downhill - it picks up speed -- and there were never truer words spoken in regards to end of life issues.

Long - long story short; Dad had a heart attack, then mother had a mastectomy, the Alzheimer's progressed and they needed home care. We started with a few hours a day (to help Dad with Mother's bathing, etc.) Then, she had a stroke and in a heart beat, we needed 24/7 care.

We moved back home. Dad was adamant that he wanted to stay in his home - and so, for nearly a year (after the stroke) we had around the clock care. Those ladies were my angels - it was truly a miracle that the next 10 months worked as smoothly as it did. They kept a shift journal for all of those months. Mostly just recording the mundane things - medications, meals, naps, etc. But, as things worsened, the entries did also. Yet, they captured some wonderful moments that I would never have known about - had it not been for those journals. I did not care to read them for about a year after they passed. It was just too much - but I certainly cherish them now.