96 YO Mother fall questions

Posted by woojr @woojr, Jan 12 12:28pm

Hello and thank you for reading this message. Mom is in unusually good shape for her age. She's had a few falls over the last five years but has been very fortunate to really only have had some stitches and a couple bruises. She has started to walk with a cane but mostly walks around the house holding on to furniture, walls etc. Most of the house (she lives alone in her home), has no steps or tripping hazards. She stills drives regularly to PT, hairdresser and local store. She's been taking supplements for decades and takes BP and Thyroid meds for about ten years. She has a pacemaker. She cooks and eats a healthy diet. She had a minor stroke over ten years ago with no after effects. She's recently had issues with itching and dry skin and scalp. All in all she's amazing. A couple days ago she called and asked my wife and I to come help her get up from a fall in her kitchen.
We found her sitting on a hard tiled floor without any apparent injuries. There was a chair knocked over and some other things on the floor as she appeared to have been reaching for things. She weighs 97 lbs and it took all had to get her up without hurting her. I asked her what happened and she said she was standing at the table reading the mail and suddenly lost her balance and went straight down without hitting her head or anything else but she couldn't pick her self up. Most of the house is carpeted and a lot has throw rugs. She refuses to remove them. I think she likes the extra padding because she's fallen without having to tell us. I took the opportunity to address a number of falling while alone issues for the hundredth time. In the past I've noticed her balance has been getting worse and she refuses to use on of the several walkers around the house. I could go on about her risky lifestyle but why? Any suggestions to get her to carry one of the many phones at all times? And when should she be in assisted living before she falls and can't get up until I discover her unable to call for help?
Thanks again for reading.

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My mother was stubborn, too. Then, one day at age 96, she fell and broke her hip, and was lucky someone found her. However, we took her to the hospital that day, and then she went into rehab, and never recovered enough to go home. She didn't even walk again. The day she broke her hip was her last day in her house. She spent four years in a nursing home until she passed. While she was there, she started to develop mild dementia. Somehow she lived through COVID and made it to 101, but it wasn't a happy time.

They can be stubborn, I know, but at this age, there isn't much time left. Our biggest fear was her hurting herself at home, and it was only through sheer luck that she didn't die alone on the floor.

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Profile picture for woojr @woojr

Thank you for caring. Fiercely independent is putting it mildly. As far as qualified people to help, I think we've had a lot of qualified people get involved over the last ten years or so. I like to relate to just the most recent things to sort of give a picture of what I've been helped with recently. A month ago she drove her car into her hairdresser's building. When the police came I asked them if they were going to check her driving competency before she drove home. The corporal in charge said he talked to her and she was fine. I asked if he knew what medication she was using and whether he could tell if she could walk straight and if her reactions should be tested. He didn't like my attitude. Walked away.
In December we went to a new cardiologist. We both see him. He decided to stop her Clonadine because he was afraid of fall risks because it could cause a sudden drop in BP. About a week later she had a BP spike, called 911 went to the hospital where she told the doctor not to bother my wife and me. My wife and I went to her house a few hours later to take her to another dr.s appt. When we got there, the house was all lit up and there was a strange look about it. My wife called the local hospital and she was there. The doctor said she'd been there six hours and had taken a few different BP meds but it wasn't coming down. I asked if they tried Clonadine and they said that was next. We went to the hospital and she had taken it and was doing better. Mom had Clonadine in her cabinet and would have taken it at six AM like she's been doing for several years until the new doc helped out. She has the script renewed now. I could tell you about the help I got from a Priest when she had issues from being scammed and refused to file a complaint against the scammers. She was certain they were the real Publishers Clearing House and I was stealing the $40,000 she wanted to send to them. The police and the bank tried to help but she clammed up like a Mafia boss's wife. The Priest tried to get some money for himself.... hmmm
This winter's been tough. We had a snow storm with ice on top. It was brutally cold and the ice seemed to sink in about two inches thick. I fell several times just trying to clean the walkway. The next day she went into the garage, got in the car and drove about twenty miles to the DMV to get the car inspected. The roads were bad but she has no sense of fear or risk. When she got home she couldn't get up the driveway which wasn't cleaned yet. She crawled up and into the garage.
She's had itching problems. We've been to three docs since last Summer and she refuses to stop taking their advice. No she buys supplements over the internet and continues to itch. Blood work has shown it's coming from something she's ingesting.
I could tell you how she almost died blaming her PT girl for the pain in her back which was a UTI. I had to carry her out of the house and took her screaming to the ER.
My mother has no interest in having people come into her home and tell her what to do. She even less wants to go to a facility. First she doesn't believe she's going to die. Her hearing is getting worse and her eyesight is ???? She's gullible and believes and buys anything. She's convinced me I can't get her off the street driving. I was basically told I'd have to sue her and the way the process was explained to me, I'd lose and it would be expensive. I've seen her sweet talk the Primary Care for over ten years. Her cholesterol is getting high but she believes statins and vaccines are deadly poisons. She won't take anything.

Finally, an old buddy had a similar situation with his mother. We're both only male children from Italian families. Only his mother was broke and he paid for her end of life. Now he's caretaker for his wife. He's had her to a number of places for stroke related rehab. It's like there's no end to it. I worked with Bruce Willis' father. I see people who grew up with Bruce and last week got a rundown on him. Caretaking is about as tough as it gets. Help? I wouldn't be surprised if my mother outlives me.

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@woojr
Sounds like you're between a rock and a hard place. If you took her car keys, she would probably figure out how to get new ones. If you disconnect her battery, she will just call someone. As the saying goes, you can lead a horse to water...

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Profile picture for judithsmiles @judithsmiles

It appears that she prefers her independence to safety. As a caring child, you prefer her safety. This is a common dilemma. I’m not sure there is a compromise. Hard as it is to watch I would recommend respecting her preference and know that if she is harmed in a way that is life-threatening or even takes her life that you gave her the freedom she wanted to spend the end of her life the way she wanted to.

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@judithsmiles She certainly won't have to worry about any falls if she has that last nasty one that lands her on her back and in constant care, but she'll certainly have many long hours to rue the loss of independence.

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For those who would like the securityof being able to call 911 - or to anyone's number listed in their cell, without a phone or life alert on body, if a fall happens and still conscious a request to Alexa or a family member, friend or neighbor, etc can be made from anywhere it is within the area it can hear a voice. the devices can be small or larger. Also tells you the weather, news, music, etc. Love it.

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In some cases family members have called the Dr who will agree to be the bad guy and alert DMV that driving license be revoked.

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Profile picture for gloaming @gloaming

@judithsmiles She certainly won't have to worry about any falls if she has that last nasty one that lands her on her back and in constant care, but she'll certainly have many long hours to rue the loss of independence.

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Wow! This discussion portrays an amazing power struggle.
Did 96 YO Mother ever do anything kind or generous for other people, or has she been a lifelong bully/master manipulator?
Would there ever be a time for the caregivers/slaves to say "Good-bye, you've planned your fate, now you're on your own to meet it."
It seems honest to say that no one of us has the capacity for infinite compassion.
I find myself hoping she will have a fatal accident without harming others.

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Profile picture for chrisanon @chrisanon

For those who would like the securityof being able to call 911 - or to anyone's number listed in their cell, without a phone or life alert on body, if a fall happens and still conscious a request to Alexa or a family member, friend or neighbor, etc can be made from anywhere it is within the area it can hear a voice. the devices can be small or larger. Also tells you the weather, news, music, etc. Love it.

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@chrisanon That day is coming for each of us if we’re lucky to live that long in decent health!
I like your suggestion of Alexa as a lifeline while allowing independence.

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Profile picture for edsutton @edsutton

Wow! This discussion portrays an amazing power struggle.
Did 96 YO Mother ever do anything kind or generous for other people, or has she been a lifelong bully/master manipulator?
Would there ever be a time for the caregivers/slaves to say "Good-bye, you've planned your fate, now you're on your own to meet it."
It seems honest to say that no one of us has the capacity for infinite compassion.
I find myself hoping she will have a fatal accident without harming others.

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@edsutton OMG Ed! Wow I can’t wait to see the responses to this one!
I read, and reread your response several times. I think I get what you’re saying. But not for sure. I SEE the power struggle going on. And this happens a lot in a lot of families.
And I am guilty of that myself except it’s in the reverse.

I just accepted that I cannot control my 49 year old youngest daughter. She has put herself in a position in her life that I felt, as her mother, I needed to step in to help and FIX her! After much anguish and sorrow, stress and heartache, SHE rebelled and stood up to ME!

AND THEN I WOKE UP!!
She is my CHILD, and I needed to protect her from what I thought were irrational decisions on her part.
But she set me straight. She is an ADULT. And she is in charge of her life and her decisions. BAM! Right between the eyes!

She is right. She is an adult and deserves to be allowed to act as the adult that she is. I’m not in charge of her anymore.
She has the right to make her own decisions the way she feels is right for her. Amen.

However, we as adults, are trying to control OUR adult parents. Yes, sometimes we need to intervene for safety.
But, not to the point of bullying. There are kind ways for us to help our parents. I will not let my children try to take away my car or take away other things in my life that I love.
I would hope that they care enough about me to come up with a plan, together with me involved in the planning.
I wear my Apple Watch, cuz I have fallen enough times to warrant wearing it. A real easy fix for everyone.
I hope I’m not going to be bullied when I start to decline.
I hope I raised them well enough to respect my wishes.

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Profile picture for edsutton @edsutton

Wow! This discussion portrays an amazing power struggle.
Did 96 YO Mother ever do anything kind or generous for other people, or has she been a lifelong bully/master manipulator?
Would there ever be a time for the caregivers/slaves to say "Good-bye, you've planned your fate, now you're on your own to meet it."
It seems honest to say that no one of us has the capacity for infinite compassion.
I find myself hoping she will have a fatal accident without harming others.

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@edsutton, I see the power struggle oppositely. Cheers to woojr's mom. She is only trying to control her own life. He is only trying to control hers.
Woojr genuinely cares for her. And his wife is darn wonderful too.
The worry about the Last Will is disconcerting.

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