When Mom started with “I'm okay,” I knew whatever came next would not be good. She went on to say she had fallen and dislocated her shoulder. I sympathized and asked her neighbor, who had taken her to the hospital, to stay with her overnight. But ...

Halfway through a six-month home assignment, I received a call from the social worker at the independent living apartment complex where my parents resided. Mom’s dementia was deepening, and she needed additional support. Neither parent wanted to m...