Being the caregiver for a parent is a loving thing to do. However, as the caregiver, the responsibilities can include doing things that are very difficult to do because you are their child. That role never changes. We will always be their child. We do not become the parent because we are making parental decisions.
One of the more difficult situations when you are the caregiver of a parent arises when you feel your parent is not safe to live at home anymore. There are no set answers about what to do because each situation is unique. There are many factors to be considered: financial, geographic, medical, safety, family dynamics and the actual home setting are just a few.
The key to making this decision is to ask for help. You do not have to do it alone. There are professionals that you can ask to assist you. You do not want to be the one who delivers this message at the cost of destroying a life-long relationship. The other benefit of asking for help is that these professionals will have a different perspective on things. They will not look at the situation in the same way that you do because of their training and experience. They do not have the same family baggage that you do. They can be more objective. They also can provide you with alternatives if moving your parent is necessary.
Physicians often can provide support with the initial discussion, but they typically do not have the skill-set, time or resources to help the family through this complex decision making process. They should be able to provide you with referrals and names of individuals who can assist you.
While you may feel like you are alone, you are not. The challenges feel overwhelming because you may never have faced this before. Even if you have faced this before, each situation is unique. You can find sites like Charism that can help you with information so you know what to ask. Often that is the biggest problem. Once someone helps you define the problem, the solution becomes more apparent and less fear inducing.