One of the hardest decisions I ever had to make was the decision to place Mom in an assisted care facility. Despite my many years of hospital geriatric care experience, I finally had to admit to myself that Mom needed more than I was capable of giving her. I knew from the outset that sending her to a nursing home was tantamount to signing her death warrant. (The average nursing home residency is about a year and a half.) Mom maintained that statistic. I draw comfort in believing that I delayed her demise by caring for her in her own familiar surroundings for as long as I did.

It appears that you, Joe, have traveled that same path. I admire what you were able to do for your MIL and that you were able to make the decision you made as to her welfare.