My relative is in her early 90s and has been diagnosed with dementia. She has lived in a care home for almost a year. I live in another city, and so I only get to visit her every few months. I phone her every week. She has been getting more distressed when I call over time, often crying, saying she wished she was dead.
My father and another relative manage her affairs and have power of attorney. They have done a great job ensuring she is in a good care home, but they are not as emotionally close to my relative as I am. She does receive a regular visit from a friend, but otherwise there are few other visitors.
I'm not sure I'm doing the right thing by phoning each week, and I wonder if it leaves her more distressed. But at the same time, it would feel callous and unloving to stop calling. I would be interested to hear the thoughts of others about what I should do.
My father and another relative manage her affairs and have power of attorney. They have done a great job ensuring she is in a good care home, but they are not as emotionally close to my relative as I am. She does receive a regular visit from a friend, but otherwise there are few other visitors.
I'm not sure I'm doing the right thing by phoning each week, and I wonder if it leaves her more distressed. But at the same time, it would feel callous and unloving to stop calling. I would be interested to hear the thoughts of others about what I should do.
