Short and sweet, my mom has had a great many health troubles in the past 7 months. Starting with a planned back surgery, her going to a facility to help her rehab, hew having to learn to walk again and having open heart surgery in December. For some reason she still believes she can do it all and as a result she fell today in her home, hitting her head, getting a head injury. I am simply getting frustrated and burnt out due mainly to the fact it seems she gets more and more stubborn and I does things she knows she she not do. I am only 40 and I feel like I am much older than that age (my mom is almost 74). The stress and burnout has affected every aspect of my life and I would like some advise on how to avoid feeling overwhelmed all the time. and finding time for myself.
Ideally, if you have other family available they would be able to cover while you take time off for your own self.
Best of luck.
But it is so hard to see people push beyond the limits we feel are "safe" for them.
What was she doing when she fell? Was she simply walking across the room to water her plants, or was she carrying something hard to balance with the cane? In other words, was she really pushing her limits or just trying to behaving normally? What kinds of things does she do that she "knows" she shouldn't be doing? Is there any way you can eliminate the need for her to do some of these things?
For example, if she is still trying to clean her house or do her laundry, etc. can you encourage her to "retire" from those activities and hire someone to do them? What kinds of things do you do for her? Can some of those things be hired done?
Is your mother's thinking okay other than not realizing her limitations? The broken back really concerned me. It sounded like she has had a history of exceeding her limitations. I don't know what to suggest other than supervision and in-home help. I hope other people will have some good advice for you. It sounds to me like you need some help to come in to get some of the stress off of you. Either that or try to get her into assisted living.