My mother is 83 and like many others she lives on a limited income. She has a little savings but at this rate she will be broke sooner than later. She insists on going to the store any store just to shop and when I don't take her she gets angry with me. I'm not able to financially support her when she is broke, how can I get through to her about her spending without getting into an argument or threats? Is anyone else out there in the same boat? Any suggestions?
In either case, it's going to be hard to control. My suggestion would be to firmly say you'll take her somewhere else (offer suggestions) where you can both have fun but you're not taking her shopping. If she gets angry, she does. You'll need to learn to not let that bother you, which I realize is easier said than done. But that is called detachment. Sometimes we just have distance ourselves emotionally from someone's negative behavior.
A talk with her doctor may be in order in case there's a medical cause as I mentioned earlier. Her decision making skills could be affected by one of the many types of dementias that people can develop.
Good luck,
Carol