The other day I visited my Mom in Memory Care. She was having a bad day and was unhappy. We went to a quiet place and over a cup of coffee had a talk. I discovered that Mom was not relating to the other residents but to the staff, mostly 20year olds, both male and female. She was not viewing them as caregivers but more like classmates or cousins. When she saw the aides working together she saw a group of girls which she was excluded from leaving her feeling "alone" (her word). If there was a male aide in the group then she saw a bunch of girls flirting with or chasing the boys making her feel "jealous"(her word). I visit frequently and have been impressed with the aides. They work together well and they seem to really care about the residents and interact well with them. How can I help Mom?
Check with the facility to see if Mom can do "volunteer" work with the other residents, thus helping the others of her own peer group.... in her mind she would be helping "much older" residents when in fact she is helping her own real peer group.