As you may know, Mom has had Parkinson's for 22 years and is showing signs of dementia. She is in a wheelchair and needs 24/7 care; she cannot walk, drive, cook, be in charge of her medications (she talked us into having her as needed next to her bed about a year ago and she was taking way too many Ativan) , etc. We have caregivers in place so I can work, and while they will take her out one day a week, she wants and needs more mental stimulation. All she does all day is move things from one place to another and watching TV. The caregivers we have are wonderful, but they cannot give Mom what she needs other than the basics.
We have talked to her about going to the Senior Citizens Center and she has said no but we are going to ask again. She wants to have a book club at her house once a week, but I don't know of anyone who would come. We live in a very small town and the closest large city is 50 miles away.
I have contemplated trying to find someone to come in during the day, 1 or 2 times a week to just visit with her. I wish the ladies from the church would do that, and while they ask me "What can I do" and I tell them "just go and see Mom" they don't. I have also thought that a nursing home would be a place that she could get stimulation, but I am not sure how that will go over because she is used to having 1 on 1 care and worried about how quickly they would get to her in case she needs to go to the bathroom, get in bed, etc.
I take her out on the weekends shopping when I am there, but it doesn't seem like enough.
She doesn't qualify for Assisted Living and we don't have senior living apartments around here. The only place for her would be a nursing home.