The author's dad had dementia and needed round-the-clock care. Courtesy of the author

My father's dementia care eventually cost $17,000 a month.

My family spent more than $270,000 keeping him safe and supported.

The emotional and financial strain of dementia care was overwhelming.

My father, a decorated veteran of the Marine Corps who served during the Vietnam War, struggled with dementia for over a decade.

By the age of 70, both his first and second wives had died from cancer, leaving him alone and attempting to live by himself while dealing with his dementia diagnosis .

His dementia left him unable to sign up for veterans benefits, manage his finances, consistently take prescription medicine, or handle such basic tasks as managing the refrigerator, charging a cellphone (leading to a landline), hanging up the handset for the landline (leading to a corded phone), or putting in hearing aids (such that all phone calls were missed).

This all occurred during the peak years of my career, and during the…