I'm having a hard time with my Mom. I worry constantly about her, she make up stories about doing things like going to the grocery store yesterday I found out she never left the apartment. We just started an antidepressant a few days ago, has anyone had any luck with that?
Well, I think you're doing just about all you can do short of driving her there yourself and throwing her in the shower when you get there. Maybe you could do like some others have advised, and stay away for awhile. Just do a 180 and give her a couple of weeks to decide she has to do it. Maybe the antidepressant will work a miracle, been known to happen.
She said she went to the grocery store, but didn't. She's still driving? Is it a different neighborhood from where she used to live? Did she forget where the grocery store is?
Our homes can become our cocoons if we're not careful. If you want her to get out of the apartment, you may have to step up and help her help herself for a while. The antidepressant may help her, or it may make her a drooling lump of clay. I've seen both ends of the spectrum.
It may take her a few weeks to settle in and meet new people. Sometimes we have to take the initiative and help them learn the ropes of the new place. She may be overwhelmed.
I weigh my mom every week when I shower her, because when her weight drops much more (she's at 125 from her normal 150-160), I'll know she's not eating enough. I have lots of food around that she can snack on, with no preparation.
Your mom may *think* she's showered. My mom can't remember my brother called five minutes later. She can't remember her age. She can't remember to look at the sign I have had posted on her couch for six months to tell her how old she is. And she doesn't have Alzheimers. So your mom is probably at a level where she needs more care than my mom. That's just my opinion, I'm sure others will comment on here as well.
My mom's in independent living and has memory loss (but not Alzheimers). She has no initiative at this point. I go over to shower her or she'd never shower either. I do her laundry and she stays in pajamas every day, except for shower day when I get her dressed. She's 95, so I figure I'll let her do what she wants to do. I bring her food, which she's able to fix on her own (in the microwave or toaster). How does your mom get her meals?