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I have mental illness but I am trying to help a family member but I am young and don't know much about seniors and what happens when they are a senior. I am willing to help but don't know much difficulty that Senior have as they age my family member is a new senior with a lot of health concerns and poor memory and easy gets frustrated and memory is not good and gets easily frustrated. Do you have any ideas of how I can help but also take care of myself as I do have mental health difficulty but this member of the family wants me to help but I don't know anything about being a senior for I am just in my late 30.

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What do you deal with on a daily basis with Mom. Can you work and she just needs a small amount of help.

Caregiving is hard. As Mom worsens are you going to be able to deal with 24/7 care. Bathing, toileting. Your free time all goes to Mom. When u collect SS they go back 35 years. You have to be working in that time frame to get a decent SS check. Your future is important.
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Leanne,

I think it’s wonderful that you want to help the senior person in your life. You obviously have a big heart. It’s a tough question to answer, however, since each senior has different issues and unique needs. A lot of caregiving is on the job training and it’s best to be attentive to what needs to be done and be supportive. Since you have some problems yourself, the most important thing is to take care of you. Don’t place yourself in a situation that puts your own mental health at risk because then you are no help to anyone. It can be especially tough to care for someone that is easily frustrated. Dealing with those kinds of behaviors may be triggering for you. Without knowing more, I would say start slow. Perhaps there is another family member who can mentor and guide you through this. And if you’re able to come back and be more detailed, we might be able to offer more specific advice. Good luck to you either way!
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So according to your profile you have your mom living with you? Is that correct? Is she paying rent or helping out financially? She is young, 63. If she isn’t contributing financially you are going to sacrifice quite a bit for your mom, supporting her. You need to save for your own future.

You say that you have a mental illness? Are you working or on disability and at home with your mom? When did she move in?

Do you want to care for your mom? Does she need help around the clock? Have you thought of other arrangements for her? Tell us what your exact concerns are please and we will try to help.

Best wishes to you and your mom.
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What exactly can she not do for herself that requires your help? She's fairly young according to your profile. I don't even think 63 really qualifies as a senior.

By the way, your message is hard to read without punctuation.
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