My mom will be returning home from skilled nursing today. She fuss and threw a fit until she was able to leave. The facility is recommending 24 hour care with PT and OT and medicine management but she says she can do it on her own. She can't do it on her on and she is pushing her family away. My mother is in a wheel chair and not sure how she became unable to walk, but my mom has been paranoid, delusional, she has bad behavior and it causes her to stay up with no sleep to stay on the look out for I'm not sure what. She fell asleep in a chair trying to stay up because she thinks someone is making her go to sleep, so she fell out of the chair. She could not get up. She thinks some light is beaming on her knees and other areas, or something is trying to get her. To me that's a red flag for mental impairment. So this is going to be challenging but just not sure as to how to care for her and make sure she goes to the doctor, take her medication, not unplug the phone, open her door for home health and family members. I'm worried that she is going to barricade herself in her home. It's hard to get her to sign anything to gain guardianship over her.
Take care,
Carol
I'd consult with an attorney about your options. Are you the only family available? I'd ask about what your duties will be as a Guardian. It's a lot of work and she'll likely resist care. It's tough and stressful. You can ask the court to have someone else take over as Guardian, such as the county or another person.
It is often hard for adult children to confront the situation that their parent can no longer care for themselves. In this situation, you will not be able to act in her best interest by yourself. You need an evaluation of her mental status and elder law attorney. A guardianship is a painful and expensive process, but you may not have a choice.
However, I agree with others that you need to have her physical health evaluated: UTI, medication interactions--only a physician can pinpoint if there is an underlying physical condition. On the chance there might be an underlying condition, you need to find that out before you engage (pay for) an elder law attorney. If you look for an attorney make sure the person has experience in obtaining guardianships and is familiar with the court procedures in your jurisdiction. An attorney will speed up the processes required to ensure that your mother is cared for appropriately. Good luck.
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