I often think of how unfair this situation is. Never mind that some universal "fairness" doesn't exist. It's not as if shouting into the night "THIS ISN'T FAIR!!" is ever going to result in situations improving.
What I mean when I say "not fair" is that my parents had their time and chance to be my age already. They did what they wanted, no elders or children to take care of anymore so it was THEIR life to do as they pleased. They didn't have to wipe their parent's rear end, plead with them to bathe, deal with the rashes they got from NOT bathing, deal with their complaining, inability to do anything independently or even make their own meals. They, comparatively speaking, were carefree. They never knew this prison. They never knew the feeling of pouring your entire life into the care of someone else who is never, ever, ever going to gain abilities. Yes, they had children but children develop abilities. As long as I take care of these two it will be downhill all the way.
I resent this. I resent the hell out of it. They had their chance. They had their lives to live freely and without guilt...the same guilt heaped on me by them and my siblings. It's hard most days to not feel like some pathetic patsy who is stuck in a hell of her own making. I could easily cart them off to an assisted living place but then there's the guilt. And instilling guilt is the one talent they were masters of. Boy, could they dish it out.
Here it is, Christmas Eve, regular caregiver has the day off (all the holidays off, in fact) and I'm here begging my mother to go to the bathroom instead of having an accident in bed. And the fill in caregiver will do her best but she doesn't know this situation and doesn't know my mother has to be reminded that she needs help cleaning herself. And she refuses to let anyone help her. So what do I do? Sit and wait for her to develop sores from rashes due to uncleanliness? Does ANYBODY want their epitaph to read "Died because she refused to wipe her ass"? Well, that's where she's headed.
I don't even know if I have a question here. I'm just tired. Tired of being underappreciated, tired of having a compassionless life. All expectations and no thanks for what I do. My sibs are judgmental, full of opinions and criticism and selfish as hell. They are NO help whatsoever on any meaningful level. And they can't understand how, when asked what I want for Christmas, my answer is COVID. And I'm almost positive I'm only 50% kidding about that.
My holiday wish for everyone here is going to sound ghastly and horrible but I'm making it anyway. I hope that next year at this time, we're all free of our current miseries. If our LOs have passed, let it be painless and fast and in their sleep. If they haven't passed...well, I've got nothing here. If they haven't passed on I hope we're at least a little less miserable than this year.
We'll get through these holidays, warriors. Best to all of you :)
I hadn't looked at it this way, Carla, but you are right! And hasn't it been mentioned here that one of the possible plans for handling the huge onslaught of aging Baby Boomers is to provide some kind of "support" to families? So there you go -- it's still going to be on the families!
ExhaustedOne, how did it come to be that you had to be the one who had to take on the caregiving? I'm always interested to read how that happens. Please make the choice to NOT do this any longer, as it is affecting your physical, mental, and emotional health.
For me, it was either take it on myself or leave mom to her own devices, which were not working due to dementia. Although she was "okay" alone in her condo for a while, it wasn't going to last. Initially I tried bringing in aides, to get her used to them, for the min 1 hr/day but that didn't last 2 months (she refused to let them in.) Plan B was to find a safe place for her. I did all the prep work, making sure all documents were updated, searching for places, etc. At first, both brothers didn't see the issue (blind? deaf? nope, just clueless.) Once they did, they were okay discussing options and went to check out some places. Again, clueless, because after the first place, they had "sticker shock" at the cost! Both said, with gleams in their eyes, for that kind of money, they'd take her in! Riiiight. They couldn't even be bothered to visit her, and they were going to care for her 24/7? HAH!
While I would have been happy to share the necessary tasks with them, I got the door slammed in my face, multiple times. Fingers too. OB just bellowed at me to "Give it up" with no offer of another plan. YB told me that the facility takes care of everything. Sure they do.
So, in the interest of ensuring my mother wasn't left hanging out to dry AND ensuring everything was properly taken care of, I gave up on them and just did it myself, including the visits. No guilt or regrets for moving her into MC. She got excellent care. She was happy most of the time. She will be VERY missed by the staff (the outpouring of care and sorrow at the impending loss was very apparent from them - from bros? Hah.)
So, basically I wanted to be sure she got the best care and that everything else was managed PROPERLY. I couldn't count on those two clowns for anything... except maybe their hand out when the end arrived. If I could, I would slap their hands as I hand them their "share" of what's left.
imho you need to find the best care home you /they can afford and be the sweet loving daughter you used to be.
There will receive proper care activities and lots new company with 3 shifts people around the clock. You’ll visit and be there for good times.
you can’t expect your parents think this thru logically ... they’re no longer able.
you’ll have to deal with guilt like all of us but decide this was best solution for everyone.
now nobody’s doing well !
we’ve all been there !!
best luck
Meanwhile my three siblings, including one sister, who are all home owners (multiple homes in two cases) with well to do children and no worries about their financial futures are not expected to do anything.
Oddly, my mother doesn't expect my sister with an 8 bedroom mansion (and children moved out), maid, groundskeepers to do anything, though she could easily take my mother in because her one home includes a separate wing that was originally designed for servants.
Ironically my mother didn't take in her own mother, though my mother was widowed at that point, owned her 4 bedroom home and had all adult children. She stuck her mother in a nursing home. But I'm not expected to have any life....
she said she is old and she should not have to worry about working out to get better and I want to yell at her so much because she is killing my mom and taking away that time my mom has and my mom is healthy but she is taking away my mothers health and freedom because she is so evil and it sucks because the law down here prevents us from doing things down here because it gives her the right to make the choices. She doesn’t have to go to the hospital is she has the mind to say no, we can’t force her in the nursing home, she has the right to fire the caregivers but it is neglect if we don’t care for her
Best of luck to you.
You need to take care of you because mo one else will.
First thing stop overdoing about your parents.
Set back and let the Caregivers do what they're hired to do.
Uneeds your parents are mentally unstable, there is nothing you can do about their choices.
You need to get out and do things fir yourself and leave the parents with the Caregivers.
You really don't have to take a bath every day.
If you are worried about your mom not making it thru the night with her urine, let her wear a pull up diaper at night.
Just try to remember that there are more ways to do something than your way.
Your parents are adults, treat them that way.
Let your parents make their own choices and with them they'll have to accept the consequences, just like you did growing up.
Every one will be more happy including yourself. If you didn't try to run the whole show yourself.
Prayers
You were never made to do these things either, you chose to do them. Time to make a different choice. Off to the MC/SNF she goes. Don't let the door hit her on the way out.
My suggestion is plan on assisted living or nursing home--and consider what you are going through now the "good old days".
You do not have an obligation to make your parents happy. Nobody can do that for anybody else. You can make sure your parents have a safe environment and that people/activities are in place to maintain their health and safety. As their adult child, you do not have to do all the caregiving or any of the caregiving. You just need to make sure it is completed.
If the current situation causes you so much distress, it is usually an indicator that something probably needs to change: get more help, move them into a long term care residence, get away for some respite.... whatever you need to do to get back some balance. You'll know that you have achieved a better balance when you can get 7-9 hours of sleep daily, regular meals, regular exercise, time with friends and family (other than your parents), and time doing something you enjoy.
Sister (2 brothers estranged) and I started 20 years ago begging them to seek financial advice, of course they refused and lived life as they wished. We even found a church friend who they could be comfortable with. No life insurance or planning for retirement at all. They sold their home in FL and moved with loser brother to SC. We begged them not to.
Sister and I finally had to move them back to be near us in their last years. Now dad passed last June after many hospitalizations, vascular dementia and a barely functioning heart because he refused to accept the procedures that could have improved his life when he was younger.
Now sister and I are stuck with demented mother who will run out of money and need either more sitter time or move to a nursing home via medicaid. She is difficult and confrontational often refusing showers and doctor's instructions. She has never been kind or nice to sister and I. Mom focuses her concern and love for her sitter, thinking she is a "friend" that is always there. Whatever I am thankful for the sitter too because I am not visiting more than a few hours a week. Mom's needs are met and for now she is in her own senior apartment.
I do her care from a distance handling communication with caregiver, meds and delivery groceries and supplies when needed.
At least we all can learn from this experience and prepare better for our senior years. Hopefully this kind of burden will not be left for our children.
Feel free to let it go and vent to us.
We GET it!
I also pray for peaceful speedy deaths for mom(84) and husband's aunt(92).
Make some calls today. Tell them about your mental status and how you are feeling so they can see you need help. I always thought AL was only for the wealthy. But I found an AL that accepts my mothers SS income as her payment. She is allowed to keep $80/mo. Her 3 meals are served daily, she has a nurse and an aid in the building 24/7 if she needs help. They do all her laundry and housecleaning weekly.
I can now sleep at night and stopped having panic attacks knowing she is safe with a roof over her head. If your mom has no assets they will ask you to start Medicaide application abs she will be considered “medicaide pending” Then they (NH) will get reimbursed for their payments.
Think of how wonderful it will feel to come back home to your house and she is not there after you get her into a place to take care of her needs. And like others have stated above, they come in fresh on 8 hr shifts. You have been doing 24 hr shifts. Please, pick up the phone today. Get this ball rolling and get your life back! You deserve it! My therapist told me every moment I spend caring for my mother is time stolen from my own life that I allowed. Keep that in mind. I refer to it often.
Good luck!
Keep us posted
Some of us have been in your shoes.
Do yourself this favor today!
Pick up the phone after you read these posts.
You already gave the answer to your plight: you said: I am "in a hell of my own making."
That is true, you are. Now you can change things.
If your parents instilled guilt in you about their old age care, instead of planning for their own old age, as a good parent would do, then they ARE NOT GOOD PARENTS, ....thus you owe them nothing.
People should not bear children and raise them to be slaves that care for them when they are old. That is why they have an entire profession that gets paid to take care of people...young or old, who can no longer care for themselves.
Your siblings walked away and so should you. They probably saw through the guilt mongering and resent your parents just as much as you do.
If your siblings are truly laying a guilt trip on you, rather than simply walking away, then drop your parents off on their doorstep on New Years eve, and let them take care of their parent going forward. Or, they can take the responsibility of refusing to do so and installing them in a nursing home.
Either you or your siblings can and should use their social security and/or savings to install them in a nursing home. Then go off and live your own lives.
Quite honestly, I do not want my children to wipe my butt or change my diaper. I have too much pride to allow that. That is why I have planned for my old age.
IMO, everyone should.
My children will have their own lives to live, and I want them to live it to the fullest.
I had children so that I could enjoy raising human beings until self-sufficient adulthood.....not so they could be my personal handmaidens when I am old.
Anyone who had children for any other reason are selfish and self absorbed.
"Overall, I agree with what you've said, but I want to respond to a couple of points. One is the idea that you can't provide proper care while being resentful. I don't know why people assume that, because I don't believe it's true. My mother was quite happy with the care I provided for her, and I was damned resentful, and she knew it too. Which leads me to my second point. Do our parents want us to be unhappy, resentful, miserable? No, of course not. But it's a trade-off they may be willing to make. My mother told me: "I know you feel trapped, and I wish you didn't feel that way." Notice she didn't say "I wish I didn't have to do this to you." Because she didn't have to, but she chose to. Reducing her expectations for the lifestyle she wanted was not an option she would consider. Trapping her daughter in a life of misery and bitterness was unfortunate, but acceptable. To her."
I was up with insomnia last night and thinking about this post! Carla you are absolutely right that for some parents, they KNOW they are being a burden, and it's a trade off they are willing to make. I even asked on this thread WHY would my mother rather be a burden to me than go to an ALF/MC?
It's crazy the amount of time I have spent feeling guilty, when in reality SHE should be the one feeling guilty.
When the day finally gets here that I am able to force my mom into care, the amount of guilt I will have will be 0.00
Thank you Carla for continuing to post here, I think you have a lot of good perspective to offer and I appreciate it!
She just doesn’t have the money. stayed home never worked, money was tight. My father even suggested when I was a teenager, to use bar soap on my hair because it was cheaper. My mother did nothing for her future. I won’t give up mine... sorry didn’t mean to jump in and rant...
My mom also refuses to shower nowadays. She came from India to live with me when she became very forgetful in her senior facility there. She wants blazing hot weather (not possible in the northeast now) and I'm so terrified she will get sores etc.