SallyAnne...is self-employment an option for you? I left the corporate enviornment just over three years ago. My income is not back up to what it was when I worked in a corporation but it gets better each year. And it is a liveable income.
One of my sisters took an early retirement package at 59. She considered the self-employed route but decided to go to work for a non-profit. Again, the income is not what she was accustomed to earning, but she loves what she does and feels good about doing it.
My other sister retired from teaching at 58. She tutors and works in a program for seniors at the YMCA part-time.
Being self-employed doesn't mean you don't have to deal with difficult people...but you have more control over when and how much you deal with them. It requires discipline (more than I have sometimes... ;) ) but can be very rewarding.
It can also leave you more time to take care of things...like your mother's needs -- and your own.
So there are options. Sometimes the options are not as obvious and it takes some digging to find out what those options are.
My thoughts are with you....
