It is one of the hardest decisions a family makes, and it usually arrives at a difficult moment. A parent has a fall. A diagnosis lands. Someone asks the question everyone has been dreading: should we look at a care home, or can we keep her at home? Here is an honest comparison to help you decide, without pretending one is always better.

You come for a visit and something feels off. The fridge is empty, the place messy, and your mother is wearing the same clothes she wore yesterday. Nothing alarms you on its own, but together it nags. Here are signs that an elderly parent needs more support at home, and what to do next.

It rarely arrives as one dramatic moment. Your mother tells you the same story twice in one call. Your father, who has driven the Grand Baie coastal road for forty years, comes home flustered. Here is how to tell ordinary forgetfulness from something that needs attention.