I moved abroad when flights home were cheap. Now caring for my aging dad is much harder and more expensive.

The author (left) said living far away from her dad has made it difficult to help him as he ages.

Courtesy of Victoria Peel Yates.

I moved to Italy to be near my partner's aging parents.

Now it's my dad who needs help.

Flights have been getting more and more expensive, so it's hard for me to get home to help him.

I feel torn between the life I built in Italy and a parent who needs me in the UK.

When I threw a party in Italy to celebrate my 40th birthday, it felt like the start of a new chapter.

Watching my dad attempt conversation with my partner's family across the language barrier , and my nephew playing with his nephew, I felt a joy I hadn't known since before my mom died.

A year earlier, we'd decided to move to Italy to be near my partner's parents , who are older than my dad.

After years in Spain, where we met, it felt like the responsible choice.

Learning from my mother's death (I hadn't seen her for two years when she died because of the pandemic), I encouraged him to spend time with them while he still could.

I didn't think my dad would be the one who needed help first.

My dad was supposed to be the healthy one Despite having diabetes, my dad's health had held up well since my mom died, and he loves to joke that he's indestructible.

I know that's not really true, but he is surprisingly resilient.