I am new to this but wanted to write as I am finding it very difficult to cope. My Mother is 69 and was diagnosed with alzheimers 2 years ago. I know that she is getting worse and I feel that every time I am coping better with her condition she deteriorates.
There is so many things I could say I don't know where to start. I suppose the main things at the moment are her constant phone calls. On Friday she rang me over 100 times something i just cant cope with. I only have a mobile phone so I normally answer the first three calls. I try to reassure her and chat to her. By the third call I tell her i am working but I will call her that evening. She continues to call me. I ignore the calls and put the phone on silent. This does not make me feel any better as now I just feel gulity and like I am deserting her. It also makes me so sad to think of her on her own just trying to contact me. Sometimes I do answer and end up screaming at her to just leave me alone, she denies that she has even rung. Thenn I feel so guilty that I have shouted at her. Does anyone have any advice?
Something else I worry about is the fact that she lives alone and I worry about her constantly. She has carers (3 a day) but I know there is times that she leaves doors open and I worry that someone may harm her. She spends a lot of the day in bed sometimes refusing to get up and I also found her wandering in the street the other day. She would flatly refuse to go into any kind of home or sheltered housing and I do think she would be out of place as in many ways she is ok. She also has a dog whom she adores and she would not be able to take him with her. Should she still be at home?
I would really welcome any advice or just to chat to people in a similar situation.
Caroline.
There is so many things I could say I don't know where to start. I suppose the main things at the moment are her constant phone calls. On Friday she rang me over 100 times something i just cant cope with. I only have a mobile phone so I normally answer the first three calls. I try to reassure her and chat to her. By the third call I tell her i am working but I will call her that evening. She continues to call me. I ignore the calls and put the phone on silent. This does not make me feel any better as now I just feel gulity and like I am deserting her. It also makes me so sad to think of her on her own just trying to contact me. Sometimes I do answer and end up screaming at her to just leave me alone, she denies that she has even rung. Thenn I feel so guilty that I have shouted at her. Does anyone have any advice?
Something else I worry about is the fact that she lives alone and I worry about her constantly. She has carers (3 a day) but I know there is times that she leaves doors open and I worry that someone may harm her. She spends a lot of the day in bed sometimes refusing to get up and I also found her wandering in the street the other day. She would flatly refuse to go into any kind of home or sheltered housing and I do think she would be out of place as in many ways she is ok. She also has a dog whom she adores and she would not be able to take him with her. Should she still be at home?
I would really welcome any advice or just to chat to people in a similar situation.
Caroline.