It used to bother me that my father wanted to know where I was all the time and what I was doing. Now I realize he is looking for direction because he doesn't know what he is supposed to be doing next. He can't make decisions and mimics other people's behavior.

my mom is in a nursing home. I visit every night after work but unfortunately she spends all day looking for me and asking where I am to the point where she gets upset and cries. Not sure if I am visiting too much or what is causing her to act like this.

That's what I thought. I am now getting to where I just blow it off or say I won't be gone long. He used to be so clingy, he was jealous, etc. I have learned how to respond in a better way.

My mother is becoming all of the above.

Best advice I ever got from here is to tell your elder you love them every day and if you can, give them a hug. One day they will be gone and all you will have are the memories. Celebrating my first year after the passing of both my Mom and Dad... and I'm so thankful for that advice. My house is empty, but my heart is full. :-)

how about clingy or tries to commit suicide for attention and the geriatrics keep sending him home i cannot be there all the time need to make money and gas is to much have to keep him near va he allways wants to be there i cannot help him he is never happy and said he ca't be happy antwere he is 91 hates it won't get involved hates a place where they have proffessional cooks and a very nice room very nice people i do not know what to do i pray but he won't change not even with god so sad jesus can help if he would let him. va won't put him in a place no service connected disability so i will have to let the state take over tried for a year just can't do it it worn out.

I'm not sure where my 76 yr old mother fits in, but I live next door and am around her the most. My mom has always been a private nervous person. I think she just feels so comfortable with me. She even blows my sister off a lot of times when she wants to visit. Mom doesn't drive and never made friends, she depends on me for most things. I love her, but need a break once in a while.

It is like being prisoner in your own home in my situation. My dad is very clingy, and can't stand it if I'm not in his eyesight. I can walk to another room and he'll ask me "Where are you GOING?" It is suffocating me. He has dementia and cancer - but is doing fairly well but cannot walk. So he is in a special chair or in bed. Even when the hospice volunteer comes in to visit him for 2 hours so I can get out...he is constantly trying to get out of his chair, and is anxious for me to get back. Like a 2 year old being left at the daycare! He cannot be entertained with television - only football, and just a little while with that. He does have some mental illness, but not serious. He's always had to be center of attention all his life. I'm the ONLY one who cares for him. I feel I can't even get the simplest things done - even use the bathroom without him calling me. He loves being around alot of people...but that's not going to happen anymore. I just have to grin and bear it. But it is wearing on me terribly.

What about the caregiver whose care recipient has advanced Alzheimers and if left alone can become scared because she thinks she is alone? I can put on I Love Lucy and my mother will get into it, laughing at the antics. I can take a few minutes then to do something on my own as long as I check in on her and give her a smile. My mother likes being around other people but if her attention is caught by somethin actively engaging, she doesn't need me at her side.