There are so many instances where my parents’ response to something simple is off. I’m starting to get embarrassed about writing about them. However, not embarrassed enough to stop writing – your comments and notes make this journey easier. Thank you.
When I was trying to reach my parents at their retirement home, their phone is continuously busy. If you have ever called my mom, you will know that a two-minute call is laborious for her, so I know after getting the signal over a period of an hour that they must not have put it back on the cradle. I called the front desk of the retirement community and they sent security to their door—no one is home.
When I check my home phone, I have a message from them and confirm that they didn’t hang up after they called. I leave a message for them at their townhouse that they left the phone off the hook at their other place.
Later that night I got a message from my dad—“Can you call us back so we can see if our phone is still off the hook?”
I want to treat others as I’d like them to treat me. I’d like to know if I did that, but giving that information to my parents at this point is just not helpful. It caused them to drive back to the retirement community at night and call me, not really understanding what the problem was or how to easily fix it. Conflicted.
Hi Kay, are your parents on any dementia medications? The doctor just prescribed Namenda for my Mom. Do you know anything about it? Thanks, Sheila
Hi Sheila – Thanks for the note, I hope I can use that information one day! My mother will not see a doctor about her memory, nor does she take any of the medicine she is currently prescribed. She only believes she has “passed all her physicals” which she does get annually — but does not share with the doctor she is having any memory issues (I went on one and she denied it in front of the doctor when I asked). The united front of my parents together has made an unpenetrable wall on this issue and we are only able to help in specific ways … somedays.
How very worrisome for you and your siblings. Luckily, my sister-in-law lives near my mother and puts her medication in one of those AM/PM containers for her. As far as we all know, Mom does take it and doesn’t throw it away. 😉