I just wanted to encourage you, OP, if you have a good relationship with your dad to try this out. My mom moved in with us early last year because she wanted to be closer to us and couldn't afford living on her own in this area. It has been amazing, and I am thankful every day that my children get to grow up with their grandmother in the house, and that she will spend her final years with us and not living alone. She also does a LOT to help us, which it sounds like maybe your father wouldn't be doing. She does all our grocery shopping and laundry and run errands for us like dry cleaner, post office, picking up the kids from school, etc. My husband also loves having her around because he has a demanding job that can require long hours and a lot of travel, and he knows he's not leaving me alone to care for the kids on my own any more. It's made our marriage much better because it's reduced the pressure to have three adults handling all the household duties instead of two. And Grandma and the kids adore each other. Yes, it is very loud and chaotic in our house, but she thrives off it usually. And when it gets to be too much, she goes to the library or the mall or the nail salon, or just shuts herself in her room and reads. I feel like multiple generations of families are supposed to live close to each other and support one another. We did finish our basement into an in-law suite for her, which is a great set-up for us. In the beginning, she kept wanting to pay us rent, but we insisted all the help she was giving us was more than enough contribution. The only thing that has been troublesome in my mind is that my mom left all her friends where she used to live and has none here in the DC area. Her entire life revolves around being with us, with occassional visits back to her pals, and she insists she's happy that way. But I wish she would get out more to meet people. Sounds like your dad is more active in causes where he'd be bound to make new friends. Best of luck with the choice.