Mom is angry and wants to revoke POA. I am the only child. What should I do?

I'd suggest that you consult with the attorney who prepared the POA and let him/her in on what's going on. If she is no longer considered to be "competent" by the legal definition, then she can't revoke the POA. In any event, I'm sure the attorney will agree that it is a bad idea for her to do so, at least without naming someone else to serve in that role. If the lawyer is a trusted advisor, perhaps your Mom will accept his/her input on this matter and will back down.

-- Sheri

Scary as it all is, it looks like a competency issue. It's true that at this point she is vulnerable to giving POA to anyone she wants, especially is she sees an attorney who isn't too careful.

I do hope you can get third party help to get this done before she implodes. It's taking too large a toll on you and you can't keep it up. She will need more care not less.

She's so frightened and your heart breaks over this, but just think what could happen if she revokes the POA and gives it to some stranger. If nothing else, compromise with her and have the POA turned over to a legal person or trust officer. But, hopefully, you can retain it. Even in the hands of an attorney, you'd need to be very careful about who that person is. Some attorneys are shady, too, so check the person through the state bar association.
Carol

karenia,

You are definitely at your wits ends and I can see why. That elder care counselor is a burned out, hardened ___ and should get out of that line of work. My SIL ran into the same kind of "stupid" therapist in dealing with her narcissistic/borderline mother. Try to find yourself a therapist for you.

I don't know your mother's history. So, I can't really tell if she is mentally ill or not, but at this point her diagnosis is not as important as getting her the help she needs and getting you the help you need.

Did your dad and you have to endure the same kind of mood swings that you are dealing with now in your mother?

I'll be praying for you.

My mother-in-law has been saying for the last 4 months that the glasses she's wearing on her face are NOT hers. I, personally have taken her to 3 optometrists/ophthalmologists and they are all saying the same thing. Yes those are your glasses. The last time she got taken to yet another eye person, she was dumbfounded that the glasses ARE really hers, and just couldn't get over it. She absolutely agreed that they were right and she is wrong. We all breathe a sigh of relief, FINALLY!! But one hour later I call her to she what she's doing. "That doctor is full of it, she didn't know anything, and these are NOT my glasses". My point is, with dementia there is no logic anymore. Your mother was being nice to the attorney, acting like she gets' 'it' but in her mind he is still wrong, you are wrong, every one in the world is wrong except her. I personally have stopped arguing with m-i-l cause it's useless. Now I just tell her when she starts complaining about those darn glasses, 'well you'll have to take it up with Kaiser, cause they say that those are your glasses'. And I shrug my shoulders, because there is nothing I can say or do to convince her of anything else. And changing the subject won't work, because of all the things she has forgotten with dementia, the glasses thing is NOT one of them. At some point I think you are going to have to give up the fight of trying to make her like you or trying to explain anything to her, and just let her be. I think when you took off for that week and left her alone, she treated you better when you did reconnect right? Then that ought to be your method of operation from now on. When she starts making you go crazy, step back, leave her alone and then reconnect again later. Maybe she'll connect the dots and see that when she acts mean and spiteful, you back off. Who knows? This other scenario sure isn't working for you.

foxyscharm,

Your mom definitely needs some kind of medicine for she is loosing touch with reality. Has she been evaluated for incompetency?

I think one thing we must all, including myself, constantly realize that we cannot be responsible for someone's emotions. We can make sure they are safe and cared for, but we can't fix their sick minds, cure their paranoia, control their fearful acts of intimidation which brings us back around to our previous discussion about F.O.G. and Intimidation.

These are difficult times of role reversals for both us adult children and our elderly parents. We can let them drive us crazy, wreck our heath, permanently damage or destroy our marriage or all sorts of other collateral fallout. Or, like parents with a child, we do what we think is best for our aging parent even if they don't like it and complain and we try out best to find out what the best thing to do is. One person has already died for the entire world and he does not call us to crucify ourselves

Do not take the things your mother is saying personally. It is the disease.Keep telling yourself that. As for her revoking the POA, go see the attorney that did the POA. Tell him/her what is going on. If she has been diagnosed by a doctor, you may be able to have her declared incompetent. While that may even make her more mad (for now), it would prevent her from changing the POA.

Your mother sounds like she is beyond the early stage of alzheimers.

While a lawyer is important, I think that first you need to find a neutral third party to talk with like a counselor, pastor, etc. You are not going to survive this or have the strength to make some tough decisions unless you do.

How supportive is your husband?

Just letting this go on like this could damage your marriage.

Maybe you need to create some distance between your mother and yourself by hiring a certified caretaker to go your mom's house each day for several hours.

Then, after getting some self-care boundaries in place, I'd look into taking your mother to the same doctor who diagnosed her with alzheimers. Maybe the therapist, etc. can give you some new tools by which to get your mother to cooperate for right now, I can tell that right now, you are walking on eggshells around your mom and it's killing you not her.

Even though you can't go to Fla. to see the atty who wrote up the POA, it might be worthwhile to give the atty a phone call.

Did your mother give you Durable, Medical or both POAs?

I'm wondering if you ever apologized to her for going behind her back and taking out a loan. Even if she is losing her mind, sounds like she's mad. And she doesn't trust you anymore. If it isn't too late and she still has enough marbles left, I'd eat crow. I'd tell her how sorry I was, explain why you did it. You'd be surprised how far an apology and owning up to our faults will go, even with someone that is having trouble in the brain department. She's got to be miserable too, especially IF you've had a good relationship with her before the loan thing. I've eaten enough crow to tell you it doesn't kill ya.

Karenia, I agree with Crowmagnum. Your mom wants to have control over you. If you're apologizing daily, she KNOWS she has control. If you and your mother have always had a good, loving relationship (b4 alz) then I don't think she hates you no matter how ugly her comments are.
I also think naheaton is right on. Don't let what you can't change jeopardize your marriage. My husband was a nervous wreck seeing me cry and rant and rave over my mom. I finally came to my senses and stopped because he means more to me than my hateful mother(who doesn't have alz, she's just hateful!).
My heart goes out to you. You are hurting a lot. And this is hurting your health. I really think you need to get on a different path. Think of yourself and your husband. All you owe your mom is seeing that she's well taken care of. I wish you all the best luck.

I vote for you taking a mini-vacation and getting away somewhere for a few days. Leave her alone. Make sure she won't starve, then get the heck out of town for a few days. Let her 'stew in her own juices' as they used to say. She probably won't die, right?