I read some questions/similar responses and have acknowledged she needs more adjustment time, but now I am so afraid to visit as it just makes her mad and she asks me to take her home. I have to “sneak out the back door” it’s all so stressful she would rather be dead than live this way, and I have to agree with her… no one should have to live like this.
Weekends are the worst and for those located in snow states, the shorter days/longer nights as well as colder weather could be tough to deal with.
we keep ice cream pops that he enjoys in the freezer in the dining room and if he wants one I bring it to him.
He doesn’t speak much anymore so he cannot verbalize too much. I am lucky that his roommate also looks out for him and tells me how he is.
Its sad and I wish he died before he reached this point in his life. It would have been more merciful than this.
It can (was for us) be an indication of the intense love and compassion you feel for someone who can no longer live a life style in another setting.
As soon as she starts the “going home” talk walk quickly to her side, give her a loving but very brief hug, say “I love you dearly Mom, I’ll see you again very soon”, turn on your heel AND LEAVE.
DO NOT TURN around after you’ve said your single “goodby”.
You cannot make her “happy” and it’s NOT YOUR JOB to do so.
Take good care of yourself- you’re suffering right now MORE than she is.
My heart goes out to you. Good luck.
She may be doing just fine but the second she sees you the gloom and doom start up, the crying and begging to go home. This is very common.
Years ago I worked in a very nice AL. We had residents who were the life of the party. Real social butterflies. The second their adult child comes to visit, it was like flipping a switch. They'd stop mid-laugh and start with the long faces first, then negativity, then the crying and begging to go home.
My friend's mother was in our AL. She was the life of the party. The second her daughter (my friend) showed up... This woman could cry on command.
I called her out in front of her daughter and told the truth. That not five minutes before she arrived she was playing cards and having a laugh.
She got very angry at both of us. The she removed her daughter from the visitors list and stopped speaking to her for a while.
This was a welcome break for her daughter. She eventually came around and the drama "performances" she's put on for her daughter stopped.
They were replaced by a sort of condescending snideness which was far more manageable.
You should stop visiting for a while but have someone who she doesn't know observe her day to day life then talk with her. They will give you a truthful account.
Maybe not their staff, but someone you can trust that your mother doesn't know. Even an outside aide that you hire for just this purpose.
You can see to it that she is cared for.
You can see to it that she is safe.
You can see to it that her needs are met.
You can not make her happy, sad, or any other emotion.
When you visit be as cheerful as you can.
Greet the staff. If there are residents in the hall smile and a hello would be nice.
(greeting people and being nice will help your mom as people will treat her nicely)
When you leave try to see that she is getting involved in an activity. Or if someone comes in to take her to the bathroom leave then.
You are not "sneaking out the back door".
When she asks to "go home" tell her that she is safe here. Tell her that this is home.
or
You can tell her that she can go home when the doctor says she can.
Many times when a person says they "want to go home" it is not the physical home but a time and place when they were healthy. Or for some it may mean "Heaven".
Eventually, many become "institutionalized" and go along with what the NH wants.
Nursing homes often have to become the "brains" for their residents because their residents' brains don't work anymore.
We humans are creatures of habit and we like structure and continuity. Being on a schedule is not exactly like just "going along" with what the nursing home wants.
I was a caregiver to many elderly people for 25 years. They would more often than not get bent out of shape if their lunch or snack wasn't served on the same plate at the same time every day.
Then there were the ones who would work themselves up into the hysertical panicking nonsense if I was literally a minute late.
Yes, I had this happen. The client would literally watch the clock and I was sixty-three seconds late. She was in a hysterical panic over this. When I didn't comfort her but rather told her she was overreacting and being ridiculous the hysterics turned to anger and she called the agency to complain.
Please believe me. Elderly people tend to like everything being on schedule the same every day.
Sometimes, he came back to wanting to go home. And again, I acknowledged how he felt and redirected him.
I Showed him a magazine, a paper to read, pictures, music, and spoke about different topics he liked. Happy memories of his different jobs. Places he went. Gave him paper and pens/markers, and a snack, Etc.
When wanting to go home, I came up with different excuses, there aren't any wheel chair Ubers available right now. I forgot to bring your wheel chair, I'll bring it tomorrow.
I know that dementia complicates things. All of this is beyond your control.
It’s normal to feel sad about your mom’s condition. I find that we start to grieve the loss of our parents long before they die. She is grieving as well. She misses her home and life as she remembers it.
Have you asked the staff at her nursing home if she is asking to go home when you aren’t around? Maybe she does need more time to adjust.
Listen to what the staff tells you and respond accordingly. If it’s better for your mom to not see you for awhile, then it may be the kindest thing that you can do for her.
Do you think she will forget who you are if you stay away? How often are you visiting your mom? Tell us a bit more about how you feel. Do you need a break? You must take care of yourself too.
Please be comforted by knowing that she is in the best place. She can no longer live on her own.
You matter too.
That's a good question. I think it's hurting both of them with the visiting so often.
‘Another time you might put a ball game on low volume, pull up a chair and just sit with her. It’s okay if you fall asleep. Just quietly be with her. When she mentions going home, don’t resist or explain, just assure her that when she’s better she will be going home. If your presence is distressing to her, you might just sit in the hall so you can witness the activity around her and satisfy yourself that she is not distressed all the time.
if the facility she is in is truly poorly ran, look for another to move her to. Her life is about receiving care at this point. She has a disease that you are not responsible for. You are kind to visit her but you can’t cure her or fulfill her fantasy of going home. You don’t have that power. I’m sorry.