Caring for Aging Parents with Cognitive Declination

The hardest thing I have ever done in my life is watching my 82 year old mother decline mentally.  She went from talking a blue streak about her younger days to being unable to understand how to use the bathroom.  I believe in caring for aging parents in the home when you are able.  This is mostly due to what I saw when my mom had to spend 2 weeks in rehab during her recovery from hip surgery.  I watched as they placed my mother at tables with others who were unable to communicate at lunch time and move her from a room with a cognitive roommate to a room with a roommate who could not speak.  These actions alone promote mental declination and I was not about to allow that when I could have her at home and keep her engaged in family fun.