Well, I retired from the military, and my sister was already taking care of my parents, but she needed help, so I decided to do that instead of finding another job. Caring for them in their home was wayyyy cheaper than a nursing home. Then, once my parents passed away, my brother started showing symptoms of dementia, so I looked after him during the daytime so his wife could go to work.
I’m only now realizing that I’ve been suffering from depression. I’ve probably always had it, but work was the only thing that kept my mind off it. So, I’m going to go back to work, and hopefully start therapy soon. My brother recently got approved for adult-daycare, so there’s no need for anyone to watch him at home during the day.
I’m still reassessing the retirement plan. It seems like people in my family start developing dementia after they stop working, so my best hope is to try to stay as active as possible. I’m going to start drawing Social Security as soon as possible and live life to the fullest before the cognitive issues start showing up.
But money-wise, I’m ok. I’d like to buy a house before I retire, but if worse comes to worst, I have a rental property that I can move into.
Sorry to hear about the dementia. If you don’t mind my asking, was the care a choice or a financial necessity?
As for the going back to work, what have you missed about work and has this experience given you any second thoughts about early retirement?
Well, I retired from the military, and my sister was already taking care of my parents, but she needed help, so I decided to do that instead of finding another job. Caring for them in their home was wayyyy cheaper than a nursing home. Then, once my parents passed away, my brother started showing symptoms of dementia, so I looked after him during the daytime so his wife could go to work.
I’m only now realizing that I’ve been suffering from depression. I’ve probably always had it, but work was the only thing that kept my mind off it. So, I’m going to go back to work, and hopefully start therapy soon. My brother recently got approved for adult-daycare, so there’s no need for anyone to watch him at home during the day.
I’m still reassessing the retirement plan. It seems like people in my family start developing dementia after they stop working, so my best hope is to try to stay as active as possible. I’m going to start drawing Social Security as soon as possible and live life to the fullest before the cognitive issues start showing up.
But money-wise, I’m ok. I’d like to buy a house before I retire, but if worse comes to worst, I have a rental property that I can move into.