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My mental health is in jeopardy, I’m having panic attacks and I’m crying, I can’t do this anymore. What can I do, I feel so alone. Thanks

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Call APS. Tell them all you have told us. Tell them that you must have help in getting diagnosis. Tell them that the state may need to take guardianship for her placement if she will not cooperate.

If you become overwhelmed completely admit yourself to the ER by ambulance. Let them know mother cannot be alone. Any suicidal ideation or desperation will get you a 5150 in which you will receive care, evaluation, respite and medications if required for your own health and safety. At the same time your mother will be taken into the social services system and she may in fact even be in your own hospital getting an evaluation for her own needs. You can, in your own evaluations let it be known you are utterly incapable of dealing with mother, and that it may literally kill you to keep trying.

I am leaving it to you to decide how much of that screnario is drama above and how much is TRUE. You sound desperate and in great need. I may be overworrying this for you; only you can know that. You may now be standing saying "Well, THAT was just a bad weather system that is gone already; I was just venting. I am doing OK".

I am so sorry. We DO see caregivers have mental breaks. You cannot take on 24/7 care of someone who honestly needs two shifts of many workers to give care, without repercussions to yourself. My heart goes out to you.

Call APS today, if you feel desperate, and tell them you are in mental crisis.
Helpful Answer (2)
Reply to AlvaDeer
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First of all you have to change the mindset that you are "all she has". That is how it becomes all too easy to shoulder the weight of doing everything and feeling responsible for everything. There are resources available for elder care - as others have mentioned, that can help you manage her care and you do not have to be "all she has".

To share a horrifying statistic, something like 40% of caregivers pre-decease the person they are providing care for. You have stated that your mental health is already in jeopardy. It is time to involve those other resources to help you manage this. Get APS involved. There are ways to pay for care, to find care, to get her into care that do not involve you doing everything yourself.
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Reply to BlueEyedGirl94
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I agree with funkygrandma59 to call APS and allow social services to get her appropriate care.

ANother, possibly faster, strategy is to call 911 and tell them she's "not herself" and may have an untreated UTI and refuses to go to the doctor. Do not tell them you think it's because she has dementia because this isn't considered a medical emergency and they probably won't take her.

Once in the ER talk to the discharge planner and make sure to tell them that she is an "unsafe discharge" because your mental health is suffering and you cannot take care of her.

Then ask to talk to a hospital social worker to discuss transfering her directly into a facility. Do not believe any promises of help from the hospital: it is a lie they tell in order to get patients out. Refuse to take her home. Make no one else takes her home.

I'm assuming you live with her. If you are not her PoA then you have no power anyway, therefore APS (or the ER) and a court-assigned 3rd party legal guardian are the solution and you need to see it as such. Even if she went to her doctor voluntarily and was diagnosed as impaired you still won't be able to get a physically resistant adult into an AL or MC or even hire private caregivers, and then she has to have the funds to cover it. It's expensive.

If you live in her house, you need to know you may need to move out if she goes into a facility. What's allowed can differ by state.

I'm so sorry that you are burning out trying to care for her. Please call APS for your own sanity as well as your Mother's protection.
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Reply to Geaton777
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Call Adult Protective Services in your moms area and report a vulnerable adult who shouldn't be living by themselves, and they will go out and do an assessment on her, and if need be take things from there.
And since your mental health is at stake, if it comes down to it, allow the state to take over your moms care, so you can take better care of yourself.
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Reply to funkygrandma59
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