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My mother is mentally unstable, has been for many years. She has cut off her entire family for decades now. Back in the late 1990s she asked to come and live with me and my then boyfriend. It was his townhouse and I felt very uncomfortable with that situation because her paranoia and overall demeanor just creates tension. As a matter of fact, I had moved in with him to get away from HER because the tension in the house (it was my grandmother's house) was actually making me physically ill.


I said no, but found an apartment for her not far from where I lived, paid 3 months of rent & furnished it. From there she moved into a hotel where she stayed for several years.


In 2004, boyfriend had become husband and we had our first child and soon after coming to visit us, my mother stopped speaking to me entirely, because she had discovered that I was still in contact with the rest of the family. She ignored my calls and letters, and eventually wrote me a nasty letter letting me know that I had "betrayed" her. So we had no contact until 2008, when I let her know I had discovered my father had died (also estranged) and that by the way, she also now had a grandson.


After that, I really did not hear her again for several years, until maybe the last year or so. Many of those calls have been repeated requests to move in with me. I am not heartless, but I do have a small house and we do not have room. We are also on one income. I also let her know that although I wanted to help her, that would need to include her getting medical care. I asked about her situation and she brushed off my questions or just didn't answer, saying she is fine.


She has changed housing frequently and often asks me for money. I sent what I could but also looked into local food & housing help for seniors, got as much information as possible, and passed it on to her, saying she needed to follow through with those people. She said she called some people and got some help in some areas but none in others. That was about a year ago.


It became clear to me recently that her memory is declining. She emailed me last week saying she had called me several times and the # was disconnected. She was calling a landline that I haven't had for about 15 years, rather than the cellphone I've had for over 20 years and that she has used before. I told her last week to erase that old number, and just use the cell phone.


Today she called me on my cellphone saying she is so confused because she's tried to call me so many times but the # says it is disconnected. This is the landline # we just discussed last week. Also concerning (but not new) is that this inability to reach me on a number I told her is no longer mine, she takes as evidence of some "odd conspiracies."


More concerning, however, was the rest of her message this morning, saying that she was leaving her residence at that moment as she no longer had money for rent and was on her way to my house but had no money to get here so could I please send her money.


I am scrambling trying to figure this out. I don't even know if she remembers where I live. I've repeatedly told her we have no space, my own medical concerns to deal with, and am not equipped to give her the proper care she needs, which I'm not even sure what that IS since she is very evasive. I've told her in the past I would do my best to help her find the right living situation, but I also know she has zero savings and her social security is very small because of her working history. We are on a one-income household in here and I have no idea what to do. I don't want her to be homeless, but it's hard to take care of someone who only wants the help THEY want (money and shelter) while refusing the other things they clearly need, and when I also don't have the financial resources. I also don't have a lot of information about her because we were out of touch for so long and she just dodges the questions that are important. I don't know what to do.

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I would like to suggest that you seek help for yourself. I think that caring for an elder who is cooperative and relatively pleasant is difficult enough, but caring for someone like your mother is a sacrifice. What is worse is that you may be sacrificing the life of your own family, and they are the ones who deserve and require your loyalty. The state will care for your Mother in the same way she would be cared for were she without any progeny at all. There are many without children.
If you report your mother to APS for assessment there is a chance that she will go for diagnosis. If her problems are mental there will be choices available to her, choices that the mentally ill sometimes do not avail themselves of. However, neither the state nor YOU can help your Mom if she refuses the help. And if she is incompetent due to dementia the State will take on guardianship and place her.
I would like you to sit with your family and discuss what honestly you can do that WOULD help your Mom. I doubt there is anything. And using the money you need for yourselves, your children and their education, your own lives when you are aged, would be a dreadful dreadful mistake.
I think that therapy would help you comb out what realistically you can do. Time should have taught this lesson but our hopes, our dreams, our magical thinking dies hard.
Please don't sacrifice your life and the lives of your family for something that almost certainly cannot be changed.
I am so sorry. This will cause you grief that you will want to change to the other g-word, which is guilt. But this is no one's fault, and certainly not yours, and there are things that cannot be fixed, that can only be grieved. And is this not worth grief? It is! What it is NOT WORTH is the sacrifice of the family you love. Or of your own life.
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Do not let this woman into your house because you will never get her out. Find the cheapest motel and place her there a couple of days or so. In the meantime, take her to Social Services and see if they can set her up in the Motel till housing can be found for her. Explain because of your own health problems, lack of space and estrangement that you cannot care for her. You feel that Dementia is now involved and as such needs to be placed in an appropriate place. Allow the State to become her guardian.
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This is a terrible predicament to find yourself in, very nerve-wracking to say the least! I doubt your mother knows where you live to show up at your front door. To then say she "was on her way to my house but had no money to get here so could I please send her money?" Where would you send such money, should you even want to, since she left her home and was in transit? The dementia or cognitive decline she's experiencing is obvious to me by that statement alone!

It's natural to want to help the woman, she's your mother. It's also natural to feel grief AND guilt b/c she's in dire straits, it sounds like. Where will she go, what will she do, what will become of her? These are natural questions for you to worry over and to try and figure out for her. If I were in your shoes, I would be feeling torn up inside as well.

I think you've been given sound advice insofar as getting APS involved goes. Having the state take over guardianship of her and get her placed somewhere would be the safest course of action since dementia is involved. If she does show up at your door, you can call 911 and have her transported to the hospital for a psych evaluation, perhaps, IF she's willing to go. Again, a lot depends on HER willingness to be compliant. If she fights it, putting her up in a hotel/motel is another thought while you try to get the state involved, I guess.

I personally think she'll land on her feet somewhere else and you'll hear from her when she does, that she won't show up at your door with a bag asking to stay. Let's hope. I also hope, for her sake, that she gets some medical help along her journey and that she stays safe.

I wish you the best of luck looking after yourself and your family, and not ruining your own health over this difficult situation with your mother.
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How old is your mother? Did she ever have a job? If not, was it because of her mental illness? If so, does she receive SSDI? If not, why not?

Please stop sending her money or helping her directly. If you do, this is called enabling. Tell her to contact social services or to go to a shelter. If she calls you for money that's a hard "no", but ask where she is and direct her to a shelter or church.

Honestly she sounds like she has a substance abuse problem. And you have an unhealthy co-dependent relationship with her. You don't have to give her a reason why she can't stay with you. "No" is a sufficient reason, because if you start giving reasons this opens it up for negotiation. No one can negotiate or ague against plain old "no".

Perhaps you should consider a session or 2 with a therapist who will help you navigate this terrain, help you identify and defend boundaries and see that your immediate family (spouse and child) are #1 priority and they need to be protected against her. At this point if she does show up and seems confused call 911 -- it may be your best strategy.

You're not responsible for your mother's happiness and never were. She was not there for you, and is a destructive force in your life. That has not changed. There will be drama, but will be so much worse if you let her in. There are solutions, they will just feel hard at first (and she won't like them). Move onward and upward.
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As the guardian of someone with dementia and severe mental illness, I agree with everyone else saying let the state become her guardian. It sounds worse than it is, but they use trained professionals who know what to do with difficult cases like this. She will be safe. Trust me when I say you do not want to take on this responsibility. It's not just dealing with government agencies (it took me 4 months of phone calls and mailings to get social security to work with me), it's keeping her in facilities when she exhibits behaviors that tend to get people get kicked out of facilities. You don't want to be on the receiving end of those late night calls from nurses telling you she's one more incident from being told to leave, and it's the third place she's been homed in six months. You do not want this responsibility, with a mother like yours.

I'm sorry. It's incredibly cruel that children of abusive parents, once they've escaped and built lives for themselves and have finally carved out a bit of happiness, are thrown right back in it at a certain point.
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Oh boy, I can see why this is throwing your for a loop. You have identified and stated that she will not be living with you and that's great. That's the most important first, last, and all the steps in between. You have also identified that you can't take care of someone who doesn't want proper care for themselves. Same as you can't make someone stop being an addict or alcoholic, they have to want it and achieve it for themselves.

You can see what resources are available for you to gather information that you can pass on to her. You may choose to put her up in a hotel temporarily if you are so inclined and can afford to, while you figure out what resources she can get in touch with. However if she doesn't want the proper help there's nothing you can do.

My note on there being nothing you can do is to not fight against your helplessness in this situation. Try and embrace it as the blessing it is, which is that when there's nothing you can do to help that means nobody (with any sense) is expecting you to fix her situation. It does add further misery and guilt when an always problematic loved on is experiencing a real hardship like failing memory, I get that and I'm in that situation myself right now.

Maybe make an appointment with an elder care specialty attorney so they can tell you exactly what you may be able to help with, but more importantly exactly how many things you just don't have the power to do. It may help you to both focus your efforts and release some of your guilt. I know people will come along with more complete answers but I wanted you to know you're not alone in this.
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MargaretMcKen Feb 2022
I'd agree with all this except seeing the 'elder care specialty attorney'. It will be a waste of money - what can they tell you that isn't already obvious? APS is a better bet.
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I think you have done incredibly well with the Very Tricky Mom hand you were delt. (((Hugs to you)))

The instability & estrangement that your Mom has been dealing with is very unfortunate & must be exhausting for her. Factors of mental health often underpin & influence lifestyle choices. Maybe substance abuse is in the mix too? Or Autism, OCD or a personality disorder? Many older folk never got a diagnosis - a 'label'. (Neurodiveristy is a newer buzz word my daughter prefers to stigma inducing labels like BPD). It is frustrating & sad when people can't seem to access the help that is presented to them 😞

But reading your post, it seems you found how to handle this hard situation yourself. By having good boundaries & building your own family.

What you have done before worked, so I'd suggest keeping that up.

Decline to 'rescue' Mom with providing your home or cash. But point her towards the agencies & services that can help her. She then has the dignity to choose for herself whether to use that help. Now if cognitive decline/dementia is in play, she may have lost judgement & will require a needs assessment & possibly Guardianship.

For now, I hope Mom is found & safe. A fall or other misadventure may get her to an ER (sooner than later). From there possibly a psych stay & hopefully a full workup. IF she has no safe discharge destination & lacks the cooperation of cognition needed to work towards one, the hospital may need to apply for emergency guardianship.

IF this is needed & you would consider becoming her legal guardian yourself, please seek legal advice first.

(My situation differs but I was advised not to become the legal guardian, to let the court appoint a temporary one. To stay put in the relative role instead. Reason was given to avoid longer term damage to the relationship. Me forcing her etc. It hasn't come to that yet - I will get more advice if/when it does).

My last thought is this; I see some folk as fragile birds, tossed around in the winds of life. If she can no longer fly well, may your Mom find a safe place to land.
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The state can provide a safe place for your mom. Check out what is available. I see you are in NJ but I'm not sure where your mom is. I am in PA. Within a mile of my house is a nursing home for state-placed folks with psychological problems, which sounds like your mom. I visit a lady there regularly and it really isn't awful. The place near me is called a "restoration center" which I always thought was a misnomer. The lady I visit said to me one day, "They call this a restoration center -- ha ha ha -- I don't think any of us are getting restored here!" She's a hoot!
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Your best option is to take your mom to a local hospital and have her involuntarily committed to their inpatient psych unit. She needs professional help to get her mental health issues versus dementia issues sorted out and treated. She may need to be placed into a long term residential facility that is paid for by the government (not your finances).

Do not give her money since you are not sure how she spends it. Give her things - food, clothing, gas in her car... - but make sure your husband is in agreement with you about how much charity to extend. I agree that she should not live with you.
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I am very sorry for your situation but bottom line, your mother doesn't care. She wants to use you for a place to live because she thinks you owe it to her. Of course you don't want to see her homeless. Believe me when I say she wouldn't give it a second thought if you were. The fact that she stopped speaking to you because you're in contact with your family is absolutely terrible. What kind of mother wants to deprive her kid of a family? I know a lot of mothers like this.
There's an old saying. "Beggars can't be choosers". If your mother will only accept help on her terms (money and living with you), then cut her loose. You don't need her in your life.
Make a phone call to APS and let them take it from there. She will likely become a ward of the state.
Don't take responsibility for her.
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