Managing two households
My name is Vanessa, I'm married to Paul and we have a nine-year old son, Noah. We live in North Essex, with my parents, Jenny (69 years old) and Steve (73 years old), about 5 miles up the road, until recently.
About 18 months ago, having just purchased our forever dream home in a stunning village, my husband Paul and I noticed a marked decline in my dad's health.
My dad had been diagnosed the year before with Alzheimer's. As many will know, there is no clear schedule to these horrid diseases.
Every day, my husband and I were assisting where we could; 'popping in' twice daily, organising appointments, helping run the house and garden.
Paul and I had several whispered conversations over several weeks about Dad's health and Mum's sanity with having to deal with it, especially having lost my only sister, Alex, in 2013. My parents had cared for my sister, who suffered with spina bifida, at home all of her life, until the age of 43. I believe Alex's death was the start of this for dad.
Feeling the pressure
We couldn't keep running two houses, as well as our full time jobs. It was exhausting and not overly productive.
