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I'm the primary caregiver for my elderly mom. I have two siblings. We currently have a 24 hr live in aide and mom can no longer afford this arrangement. After looking at all options, it's best for her to go into an ALF. She can afford the rent with the money from the sale of the house for about 4 years vs 3 months more of the live in aide. She's running out of liquid cash very quickly. My siblings do not know anything about her detail health as they never talk to any of her doctors or go to appointments. They depend on all that info from me. I've been estranged from one of my siblings for a few years now due to issues with my mother. It's a complicated mess and they are both toxic and my mother is as well. I've researched, toured and set up a move in date for her to go to a beautiful apartment in a ALF. All I've gotten is grief. It's not the end of the world and they all need to accept that this is the best option for her and help to make her see it that way by offering some positive thoughts to the whole process. Over the years when I've asked for help with her or for them to visit more frequently or take her for a holiday I was insulted, called a martyr you name it. Now they still have the audacity to say that they are tired of me controlling the whole show. I've told them I'd be happy to hand the whole thing over to either one of them in a heartbeat but haha no way they're taking the bait. So now they want to wait to tell her she 'may' have to sell her house and move. I'm disgusted and drained. I've given this my all. She needs to know asap that she's going to be moving and I wanted to minimize the gory details of what needs to follow with the house once she settles into the ALF. I guess I'm looking for support on here since I'm not getting any from them. This is affecting my life in a very unhealthy way. How do I get them to see that the way they're acting is not right? This isn't a privilege it's a burden!

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Jan, many of us have been there and walked in your shoes. We often see posts on this site from "real" overwhelmed only children that wish for siblings to share the burden. Don't knee which would be harder, not be an only with no help or be an only with no chance of sibling help.

Your sibs do not want to face reality of placing mom because it could likely mean the end of their inheritance. That won't change. They have made their wishes known, you are going to have to move forward without their support. You will find support on this site, WE GET IT!

Has the facility completed an assessment of mom? Do you have Powers of Attorney? Has mom been declared incompetent so that the POA's are in effect?

Best wishes for you and mom on this journey.
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Er. Do I gather that you've presented this proposed move to your siblings but not yet discussed it with your mother?

How come?
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Janlneed - I get it, and I am sorry your siblings are not helpful. You ask how you can get them to see the way they're acting is not right. In my opinion, you just can't. Trying to get them to see things differently or engage in helpful ways will likely only exhaust what little energy you still have left. So what to do then, in my opinion, is minimize them. Get them out of your way. This can reduce your stress level. Then find resources outside your siblings who can assist in helpful ways.

Talk to your mom about an ALF. Get her alignment with you on those plans. All you need to do then is inform your siblings of your mother's wishes, and tell them you will facilitate on behalf of your mother. You could tell them you know they are busy, so you can handle it, and see if they will agree to a pre-determined weekly check point where you can give them ongoing updates on your mom's plans. The idea with this is that you minimize their interaction (i.e., unhelpful chaos) and they still feel like they are in the loop. While minimizing that, you find other avenues that are helpful for helping with your mom's plans such as perhaps a referral from a PCP, senior services locally, or web searches.

When this affects your life in unhealthy ways, it is time to change the action plan. Do what you need to take care of yourself. Wishing you clarity on the best path forward for you.
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