My Nana is in her seventies. She lost my grandad a few years ago, they were together over 40 years. She has no siblings left and her children (two from her first marriage and two from her marriage with my grandad) are either going through their own problems or are not interested in helping. The past year or so she has lost a lot of weight unintentionally, she barely sleeps and has lost interest in everyday life. She’s had tests at the doctors and it’s seems there’s nothing wrong with her physically.
Mentally she is struggling; she calls herself nasty names, scared to leave the house on her own due to feeling so frail and unable to make basic decisions like what she wants for lunch.
She has tried a bunch of anti depressants all leaving her feeling worse, she tried to get a counsellor but didn’t like the standard questions they asked at the beginning of the phone call (have you a history of drug abuse? Etc) she thought they were intrusive and offensive.
She’s had a hard life, her first marriage was full of abuse, her father passed when she was 16 and she has always had to take care of someone (brothers ill health, selfish adult children) and she has never worked always took care of her children and house. Now she isn’t taking care of anyone (her purpose as she says) and I don’t know how to help her, I take her shopping, attend doctors appointments and give her words of encouragement.
I’m scared to lose her too soon, she played a big part in my upbringing including being there for the birth of my own child and helping during those early days. I want to pay it forward and support her now she needs it. does anyone have any advice please?