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Caring for elderly alcoholic mother

Caring for elderly alcoholic mother

Hi! This is my first post. I'm not sure if i've put it in the right place...

I'll try and make the back story as short as I can, because it's relevant but is also long.

My father passed away in 2015 after being sick for 6 years with a rare auto immune disease. We tried our best to keep him at home but we ended up having to place him in a home as he kept ending up in hospital with pneumonia. His illness was terminal and it caused seizures with alot of confusion which was similar to dementia. While he was unwell, we lost my grandfather (on my mother's side) and my grandma went into depression and ended up dying not long after my father.

Towards the end of my father's life my mum had met a man (I understand alot of people would think this was wrong but he provided help and comfort for mum and dad wasn't getting any better, unfortunately so I understand why she did it).

Their relationship was secret, and therefore, when this man died noone knew to tell my mum. She found out when she happened to be at the same place they were holding his wake.

As you can see, she has experienced alot of trauma with losing close family members all around the same time. When dad got sick, mum and I started drinking. I more so than her at the time. I ended up moving a few hours away for better work and visited alot. I got some help with seeing counsellors and met my now fiance.

One day I received a call from my cousin who had come to mow the lawn and he said that mum wasn't well. She wasn't really coherent and he called the ambulance. They told me she had a grand mal seizure and my partner and I rushed back home. This was during covid so I was already working remotely and we made the decision to stay with her to keep an eye on her and i could keep ny job working remotely. She was diagnosed with late on set epilepsy, put on seizure medication and told not to drink...

We have 2 separate dwellings so my partner and I live in one house and mum has her own space in the other. I also co own the property with my mum.

We've been back for 4 years and it's been an on and off nightmare. I'm an only child and haven't really been able to get any help from any of my living relatives. There's only my aunt and that's a whole other story.

We've recently had a little girl, she's 1.5 years old. I work full time and my partner works shift work.

I've been organising all appointments and driving mum to them. Picking her up from the club when she goes to see her friends and everything is starting to get too much. I did try to organise to buy a car for mum but she fought me really hard about it and told me I was causing her anxiety. We also have no public transport where we are and are 15kms from town.

Recently, I spoke to a caring agency about getting some help. I thought we could organise a driver and maybe someone to help her clean (she's a hoarder and also has mice living in her house because she refuses to get rid of them. She can't handle the smell of dead bodies).

One time she was in hospital, I cleaned her house threw out some rusty pots and pans and I'm still getting yelled at for it.

So I thought a bit of help might be a good idea. She shut me down and we got into a huge fight about it. She said she doesn't need a carer and got more help before I moved back home... she constantly guilt trips me and has never helped with her only grand child. Last week, my partner had to go away to see his unwell mother. I asked her for some help and the very next day I found her passed out on the floor from too much alcohol. She couldn't get up and I had my baby and I had no choice but to call the ambulance. They ended up keeping her in over night where she spoke in her sleep saying she wanted to die.

It's not the first time we've found her passed out on the ground due to drinking too much but it's the first time i've called the ambulance.

I've spoken to her Dr, they said I can't do anything unless she wants help. I've spoken to a solicitor because I have power of attorney. I can't use that unless she is completely incable of decisions. So I've run out of options.

I've been to counselling because I don't know how to handle it and I keep being told that I can't do anything... I feel like I'm just waiting to find her dead in her house.

After she refused to talk with the carer and threw my years of helping back in my face, I told her that she can organise it all herself then. But I feel terrible. She refuses to get any help. She's seen a counsellor once and thinks she helped them more than they helped her.

After this, she came over drunk and started crying to my partner. We've recently applied to refinance for some minor renovations and she needed her marriage certificate. She said that looking at her certificate caused her so much grief, that she went off the rails...

I'm sorry for the long post. I've tried to keep it as short as I can and have left out ALOT (mum coming over at 7am hammered because she's been drinking since 4am is a regular occurrence. Her meeting my inlaws for the first time and she was drunk) but I'm so burnt out and I'm wondering if there are other resources out there that I haven't thought of... she's a shell of the woman I used to know and I feel like I'm grieving the death of someone who is still alive

I'm just not sure how I can help myself and help her... my daughter is my number 1 priority now and I can't be a carer for mum. I just don't know how to get her the support we both need...

42 replies

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In response to: Caring for elderly alcoholic mother

Re: Caring for elderly alcoholic mother

I did check on her at 11:30. She was sobering up a bit by then but definitely had been drinking.

We have a plan in place that if I don't see her by 10am I go and check on her. And the same if I don't see her by 6.

The whole reason we moved back home was because she had a set and it was just lucky my cousin came out and found her. Otherwise she would be dead and noone would have known. I used to call every morning when I lived away as well... she's by herself.

Another time I went over at 11 and she was incoherent. I called the ambulance and she ended up being rushed to a hospital in the city that specialises in heart problems. She had "broken heart syndrome" but was also put on thiamine because of tbe alcohol.

I was really excited about having someone like a carer be able to come out and check on her also. It just would have helped share the load of constant worry I'm in... when I mentioned that to her she just said "don't worry about me then". But it's hard to just switch that off. Like sure ok. I'll stop giving a crap... I'm just waiting to find her gone when I check on her one day... I feel like that's the end game here if she keeps refusing any help and I'm struggling with how to handle that. It's been like this for 4 years now and I've exhausted all avenues... 😞

In response to: Re: Caring for elderly alcoholic mother

Re: Caring for elderly alcoholic mother

I wonder if this is something you can discuss with her doctor or your doc, just to get some advice? @Jenny88

I knew a lady who was on drugs. So was her son. Her son got clean and she kept asking him for help. Eventually, she got sick, went to hospital and from there she ended up in a nursing home even though she’s under 60 years old. But that was her life saver because that’s how she got clean. Even at the nursing home, she kept phoning her son to get her out. The son was torn because it was his mother. But he knew he had to leave her there for her own good. In the end, it all worked out.

But yes, it was hard for him. Just like it’s hard for you right now.

In response to: Re: Caring for elderly alcoholic mother

Re: Caring for elderly alcoholic mother

Thank you for sharing that story.

It sounds like a very similar situation. I really don't want her going into a home but she isn't leaving me much choice... my father was forced into a home but we didn't have the facilities to care for him.

I think it would k*ll her if it got to that point but she isn't accepting help any other way.

She begged me last time to not let her go to hospital but I had no choice. I was alone with my baby and I couldn't watch her as well and she was too intoxicated to leave alone

In response to: Re: Caring for elderly alcoholic mother

Re: Caring for elderly alcoholic mother

@Jenny88 sounds like a really tough choice, but in the end we sometimes really have to prioritise our own needs first. Just like in airplane safety guides - we fit our own mask before assisting others, or in other words, we cannot pour from an empty cup. It's a very challenging thing to have to sit with. Definitely agree with @tyme about chatting to either her or your doctor about it all.

In response to: Re: Caring for elderly alcoholic mother

Re: Caring for elderly alcoholic mother

Thanks @Jynx and @tyme

I had previously spoken to the nurse and she basically told me I couldn't do anything without mum agreeing.

She's recently changed doctors though so I'll try again and see how I go

In response to: Re: Caring for elderly alcoholic mother

Re: Caring for elderly alcoholic mother

Feel free to keep us posted @Jenny88 - and be sure to take the steps to look after yourself in the meantime.

In response to: Re: Caring for elderly alcoholic mother

Re: Caring for elderly alcoholic mother

Fingers crossed it gets easier for you @Jenny88 🤞💜

In response to: Re: Caring for elderly alcoholic mother

Re: Caring for elderly alcoholic mother

@Jenny88 , please let us know how you go. Let them know there is only so much you can do. It sounds like your mum can do with added support all round. That is, in various aspects of her life.

I hear how hard it must be for you to see her going the way she is. I can see you are doing your best for your family while also doing what you can for your mum.

In response to: Re: Caring for elderly alcoholic mother

Re: Caring for elderly alcoholic mother

Thank you.

I'm struggling a bit because my partner works shift work and we have no help. I'm sick at the moment and have been home with my daughter for 3 days while we both get over a stomach bug and cold.

It just really hurts knowing that I have family right next door but I feel like I can't ask her for help because I don't trust her to be sober.

When my daughter was first born, alot of people would say "must be so nice living next door to your mum!"

Yeah... sure it is.

I'll keep you posted if the doctor has any other suggestions x

In response to: Re: Caring for elderly alcoholic mother

Re: Caring for elderly alcoholic mother

Yes, if people only knew how little help you were getting, they may be thinking differently @Jenny88

Please rest up. Hopefully you'll feel better soon.

We look forward to hearing how it goes.

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