My Mom, soon to be 89 lives in her own home. As her closest daughter, I find that I am doing more and more for her (and feel guilty when I don't/can't). She is financially able to hire any help she needs but refuses to do so. I also have a disabled son (not living with me) who requires my help. I am a widow, retired, and just feel pulled away from living my own life. Can anyone suggest a way to convince Mom that I just can't keep this up and she needs to hire someone? I feel that my Dad left her well off precisely because he wanted her to be able to live as well as possible. Thank you all in advance!
What kind of help does she need - personal care, house management or both? Do you think the resistance is to paying for help or to having an unfamiliar person in the home? We were able to get the rate for homemaking a bit lower by working with Elder services in our area, but this does involve a pretty thorough intake process. Is your mother a very private person? Does she call you often to ask for help "on the fly" ? Also every town seems to have a Council on Aging that can help with transportation if that is a need.