9:30 AM – Mom slept through the night and just a bit ago, she motioned for me to come upstairs where she told me where she slept and where my clothes were and mentioned that I sleep on the couch downstairs. I agreed and told her that once she moves into a nursing home, I will end up putting my waterbed back upstairs. The nursing home triggered a long discussion about her thinking she doesn’t need to be in a nursing home. She accused me of stealing her house so I could put her in a nursing home. I reminded her that it’s not stealing since she willingly signed it over as was planned when we moved into the house together back in 2007 and that I am paying it off once I deposit the check and it clears. She asked with an attitude: “Well how are you going to get me out of here?” I told her, “If you won’t go willingly, then by ambulance if I have to.” Anyway, I have video of this exchange, but I’m not going to post it because to hear her, you’ll have to turn your volume up and when I talk, it would blow your speakers since I have to speak up loud enough for her to hear me… lol.
I’ve been in touch with our lawyer this morning and she advised me that paying off the house isn’t going to cause any problems. I let her know what’s going on with Mom and asked if she would want to do the Medicaid application or if I should do it through the nursing home. She suggested the nursing home, since it wouldn’t cost extra (that made me chuckle) but that she would step in to help if we had any problems. I am now going to email the Admissions Director for Miller’s Merry Manor here in town to let her know what’s going on and see if she feels like we can try the non-locked facility they have or if I should get in touch with Warsaw since they have a locked facility. I’ll keep you posted on developments and probably videos since I imagine this is going to trigger a few.
11:55 AM – She started talking in the kitchen, something about the Echo it sounded like, but unfortunately, she wasn’t moving at the time so it didn’t trigger the motion sensor on the camera and it wasn’t recorded. It was loud enough that it would have woken me up if I were sleeping. Then, just a minute ago, she came out here and asked if I was still working or if I was going home. Being confused, I asked her what she was talking about and she said that her Echo was sitting out there and needed updating. Yeah, I don’t know either.. lol. It seemed like she didn’t realize that either one of us lived here and she thought we were selling the house or something. It was a pretty confusing exchange.
1:00 PM – She’s all set to go to the psych hospital for her evaluation as soon as a bed opens up. They are expecting one to open by tomorrow. This will be at their Bremen hospital. I think it’s for 7 days, but I’m not entirely sure. They had beds open in other places, but they were geared more towards younger people it seems, so I told them that I’d wait it out since she might be more comfortable with older people. I’m really nervous about this and am already feeling like the world’s worst son for having to do it, but I also realize that I just can’t go on with it and am trying to be strong.
10:25 PM – The video above is the last one captured where she says anything. She eventually gets up, goes downstairs to use the bathroom and goes into her room at 9:08 PM. I just checked the camera and her bedroom light is off, so she is in bed now.
You are NOT doing anything wrong in committing her. You are protecting her from herself and doing what needs to be done. (And you have waited a lot longer to do it than most of us would have) Do you need us to come help you??
You are a very good son Shannon to have taken such good care of your Mom with no help from your brothers. You are protecting her from herself by committing her. If you want us to come and be with you when you take her, we can.
I appreciate the offer! I couldn’t ask you two to drive that far though. I just think of how scared she’s going to be with the different surrounding and being with other people that may be as bad or worse than herself and that’s what makes it hard for me. I will stay strong, by letting the asshole in me come out if I have to, because I know it’s probably best for both of us that we do this. I’m also going to call into work tonight and put in for a vacation for next week so that I have it open for whatever comes of this, whether it’s picking her up to take her home or take her to a nursing home and start the Medicaid application etc.