I make sure she has doctors' appointments and pay attention to what is needed for her care, and what happens? When we get home, she refuses to take the medication that, 1) we spent time at the doctors to visit and get advice; 2) we obtained a prescription;) 3) I went to get the prescription which costs money and time; 4) to bring it home for her to refuse it! I've invested lots of time and energy and money for NADA! Urgh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yea, rat her out. You be the good cop and let Doc be the bad cop.
Wow. She sounds tough. Heehee!
If she in the past was pretty logical about following directions, then I'd do whatever to get her evaluated by a gerontologist to see where she is on the cognitive abilities. You really need to see a gerontologist who has the training and staff trained to do the testing NOT their old family medicine guy or internal medicine one. It's like taking a child to a pediatrician or a children's hospital for care rather than an internal medicine guy. Gerontologists are for the elderly what pediatricians are for the young. Good luck.
My mother even says she wants my brother to call her everyday to see if she is still alive. I suggest a Life Alert. No way. Brother doesn't call. She is all indignant about it.
I realize with mom it is an attention seeking behavior. I just ignore it. If she dies, she dies. You know what they say about the horse, you can lead it to water but you can't make if drink.
If I had have been have this much trouble as a kid, she would have given me away. :D
Ratting her out did nothing for me. She admits it to her Dr and says she isn't going to take anything that "might make things worse", nvm if they may actually make things better...
What I've started doing is waiting a day or two to fill any RX we get. I'll flat out ask mom if she is going to take it or is it going to just get stuck in the box under her bed. If she says she'll try it, I'll get it (she rarely actually does tho) but if she says she won't take whatever it is (I could list dozens in this, everything from pain medication to blood pressure pills to arthritis meds.) I won't fill the RX, and I'll go on and call her Dr to let her know that she is not going to take it.
It isn't the optimal solution, I know. But what it comes down to is that you can't force them to take the medication, and some things are just not worth fighting over at this stage in their life. Not taking the medications will have consequences. All you can do is make sure SHE understands that.