Mom is in nursing home care and I'm very happy with the care she is receiving. The problem is she won't come out of her room, but just sits in there with the door closed, waiting for me to come. I'm working full time and my only brother is on the opposite side of the country. Mum has a phone in her room and regularly hears from my brother and her sisters. However, I am starting to feel as if I am under siege in my own home, due to phone call after phone call. There are tears, "when are you coming in?", "I'm frightened" (I don't know why); "I haven't got any clothes" (she does); "I haven't got any money" - she does and knows that I take care of it for her which she is very happy about. I have got to the stage where I have pulled my own phone from the wall. Someone told me that I didn't have to answer it, but I just felt so guilty letting it ring and ring. 31 times in one afternoon is the current record. I would love to take the phone from her, but then she would never get calls from others. My brother sympathizes a lot, but never comes for a visit and I had an email from him yesterday asking why he couldn't contact me by phone as he wanted to know how Mum was? I snapped a bit and told him to ring her and find out. When I do see Mom I would describe her as needy with a capital N. (She always has been.) She wants no one around her but me and/or my brother and keeps wistfully asking when I think he might visit again. Can anyone help with ideas, please?
