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No question here - just venting. My mother’s house is an oven, as she now thinks if she opens windows, people may climb in. We’re rural, isolated, houses 50’ apart, always home (6 of us), with big, alert dogs. Air conditioning units have new buttons to learn and we can’t guarantee she’d let it run. So we’re trying for central air conditioning. How dare we authorize people (who we know, fortunately) to enter her home? Because we’d rather she was angry than ill or dead from the heat. When we suggested a motorized awning over her deck it turned out to be the greatest thing ever. Let’s hope this goes as well. Braced for the worst, hoping for the best. Wish us luck!

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Oh, you have my sympathy on this one. I once had to get a repair person into my dad's house and he was so angry that I had to sit outside in the car while the person did the work. My dad refused to let me into the house. Luckily the repair person had been warned and he actually pretended to side with my dad that I was overstepping my boundaries to get the furnace fixed, all the while he was fixing the furnace. The man was a saint. I think repair people are used to dealing with crazy.
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What I've done is tell the service person to call me while they're in the home. Then hand the phone to my LO to explain what's going on. In this instance (as in JKM's story) it is ok to tell a "therapeutic fib" to get the job done. Hopefully you have financial PoA for your mom or else if she called the police you may be in trouble. Is it possible to install a Nest or other smart thermostat and check/control her heating/cooling remotely? It's going to start to be a lot of effort just to prop up the charade that she is "living independently"...
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She lives in a granny flat in our yard. I own it. She has agreed to come into my house (she can see her house from where I’m sitting) while my husband supervises the men (who we know). Coming any minute now... And yes, I do have POA, plus my husband’s a wiz with tech.
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Have them put in a digital thermostat where you can adjust and set the temps. I love mine.
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Woo-hoo! She’s here, seemingly relaxed, and they’re in her house with my husband. And one of dogs is guarding her house, much to her surprise. All’s well!
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I sympathize. Many people don't want people coming to their house to do repairs or replace broken equipment. If it's a safety issue it just have to be done though. My folks have air-con now & so much better! Mother is frugal & doesn't want to use the heating or cooling - to unsafe levels... but she does not live alone so doesn't get to control it.

Can you be in charge of the temperature & prevent her from fiddling if need be?
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