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Elderly parents

I have had enough !

30 replies

loulou4343 · 05/09/2021 01:09

Super quick snapshot and PLEASE ANY ADVICE !
My mother is 84. She had a new knee about 4 yrs ago and her gall bladder removed, has cataracts but apart from that she is sort of ok.
However she is driving everyone to distraction with her “ ailments “ they all check out to be nothing simply “old age “
Today I got up at the crack of dawn to drive the 80mins drive to take her to her hospital appointment as she was going for an ultrasound as she has had a bout of cystitis and the doctor wanted to see nothing was amiss. My brother who lives 5 mins from both my mum and the hospital could of taken her but she refused and only wanted me. The scan showed nothing. She must of literally had every scan the nhs does and nothing ever comes back. She takes no medication except beta blockers and paracetamol. She lives alone. My dad died 13 yrs ago and he did everything for her. She has over the years rejected any thing that would make her mobile so she can’t drive/ ride a bike/ never swam a length of a pool ZILCH. Since COVID hit she has sat in her chair and watched television 24/7. Her very good friend died just before COVID of a heart attack and I think she actually missed his company far more than when my dad died. She’s stopped cooking and either eats the batch meals I cook and freeze for her or ready meals from Tesco. She always cooked from scratch. In a word she has given up.
I visit once a week as I work 3 days and the trips totally and utterly drain the life blood from me as all she talks about is illness. Last time I went last week I literally hyperventilated in the car on my way home it was so stressful. Like the OP in an earlier tread she just wants “ looking after “ so meals put in front of her which really irks. I bought her all new kitchen appliances earlier this year but she doesn’t “ trust “ them so just microwaves everything. I can’t do this much more as the trips are getting worse but she refused to move 5 yrs ago to be nearer to me so I could manage helping her so it falls to me to drive up weekly. My brother literally drops off a bit of food shopping and then leaves where I stay and chat. I know she wants more company but she won’t entertain going out to a day centre. She won’t have WiFi so I can’t FaceTime her or do any internet banking for her she literally just sits in the chair and everyone has to rally around her. I love her as she’s my mum but that’s it. Both my mum and dad were incredibly selfish as parents and I have a huge amount of resentment towards her as I don’t want to be her skivvy any longer. The doctor has given her antidepressants but she won’t take them. She’s sad Lonely and depressed but won’t do anything to change that. Won’t even go for a walk up and down the road. After finding no issues today at the scan I am so bloody pissed off that it’s yet another “ situation “ she has engineered so people have to rally round.
Stick a fork in me I’m done.

OP posts:
grey12 · 05/09/2021 09:13

Not the same case at all but something that may help:

We had someone coming over to bathe and cream DH's late GM (in her 90s). It was a former nurse and she would say a couple of hours and chat. Could you possibly afford something like that?

MakeMeCleanTheHouse · 05/09/2021 09:13

@UrbanRambler "But when she's gone, you will feel better if you know you did everything you ressonably could to support her through her final phase of life. That doesn't mean sacrificing your own health - you need to set your own boundaries about how mucn you are willing/able to do, to help her through her twilight years. It's hard"

Pretty much this especially boundaries. I've cared for two relatives who have both died in the last 18 months. It was enormously difficult especially as I had a difficult relationship and memories of care from my mum. I used to say we needed a bingo card of health investigations as she too had every examination going and then moved on to new symptoms in a separate branch of medicine. All normal.

I gave up one day of every weekend and one evening and worked full time. It was a killer. I tried to go out with her (huge resistance) because staying at home was not healthy for any of us. Getting out and about is worth a try

Mindymomo · 05/09/2021 09:01

My MIL used to do voluntary chaperoning services for Age UK. She used to visit people in their homes and try and get them to visit a day centre. She would pick them up and take them for a couple of hours and then drop them back home. Often she was older than the clients. Unfortunately only about 1 in 10 continued to go on their own, like your DM most just want someone to come in and chat. You could call her local Age UK and see if they have any suggestions or any local care groups which offer support. It is hard when they get old and only focus on their health, unfortunately MIL went this way. She always said “shoot me if I get like this”.

UrbanRambler · 05/09/2021 01:42

From my experience in caring for my elderly parents for several years before they died in their 80s, I would say that your mother is actually doing better than many people of her age, and perhaps you would be better off accepting the changes that have come with her advanced age, rather than bemoaning the fact that she has "given up". Just because she doesn't cook from scratch doesn't mean she's given up - on the contrary, she seems content to microwave ready meals and is presumably eating them, which is a good sign. The fact that she is seeking medical help for her various ailments (imagined or real), is also a good thing - my mother avoided doctors at all costs and ignored various issues until it was too late to do anything about them. Also, elderly people who live alone do have a tendency to dwell on every small symptom and imagine the worst - maybe she just wants reassurance.

When my mother was 84 she was barely eating, due to various digestive problems that were too late to fix. She lived mostly on soup, hot drinks, custard and sweets, for years. Left to her own devices she barely washed or changed her clothes, so had to be coaxed by me to do these things. As time went on she couldn't be bothered to go to bed, stayed in her chair day and night, and in the end she stopped using the toilet so had to wear incontinence pants (which she never changed, without prompting from me/the carers). Although her legs worked fine, through lack of use the muscles gave way and she could barely walk to the toilet, even with help. I could write several pages about what giving up real looks like, but hopefully you get the picture.

Being old and alone sucks. It's a shame when elderly people don't try to keep active, or attend clubs and activities that could benefit them, but if they don't want to do it, you can't make them. I understand why you feel frustrated as you think life would be so much better if she made more of an effort to help herself, but this depression and apathy is very common in her age group so try to accept that she's unlikely to change now. I know it's hard becoming the main carer to parents that have been less than caring towards you (mine weren't perfect either), but you will find time with her easier if you just go with the flow a bit and just gently help her with anything you can, to keep her ticking over. It may take years for your mother to fade from existence, or she may be gone tomorrow - you just don't know. But when she's gone, you will feel better if you know you did everything you ressonably could to support her through her final phase of life. That doesn't mean sacrificing your own health - you need to set your own boundaries about how mucn you are willing/able to do, to help her through her twilight years. It's hard. Good luck OP.

toomuchlaundry · 05/09/2021 01:16

Step back. My DM uses community transport for some of her medical appointments, as doesn’t always want to rely on me (and I can’t always make them anyway).

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