It’s been a long time since I’ve written. Every time I thought about writing I felt sick. Why? I don’t really know. Maybe I just poured too much of myself out in writing this blog and maybe because I just didn’t know how to express myself anymore. My feelings were very raw like a scab you continually pick.
I put Ma into care on 4 July 2016. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. I’m now the decision maker of her life and death needs. It’s a hell of a responsibility and one I wasn’t prepared for…. but then again, how does one prepare for that? The legals, the financials, the need for constant vigilance as well as the need for constant vigilance (yep, I repeated myself). Ma has had a number of issues since she went into care. If I wasn’t vigilant she’d slip through the cracks. Pressure sores, pneumonia, flu, sores from urine burns, infections, skin tears, not eating or drinking… the list goes on.
I’m there every day and sometimes twice a day. I can’t afford not to be. The facility is supposed to be one of the better ones. I’ve been lucky that the Manager is very response when I raise issues and Ma’s doctor is wonderful… I’m sure they hate the sight of me, but I don’t have to be liked, I just need Ma taken care of. I pity those that don’t have an advocate or can’t speak for themselves.
I always laugh when people say to me that I must have much more time now that Ma’s in care. In fact I now have less. Yes, I now have freedom to go out for more than an hour and I get to sleep all night but my days are longer now. I cook up batches of food on the weekend so I can spend more time with Ma.
I see Ma slipping away. Every day I feel regret for having ‘given up’ and placed her in care. Every time I find a problem, like a pressure sore, I feel regret. Every time, Ma tells me she doesn’t like it there, or somebody didn’t treat her right, I feel regret. I look back and wonder how I could have been so weak as to have given up. It’s now hard to remember how I struggled. All I feel now is guilt as she slips away before my eyes. Difficulty swallowing, not eating or drinking and sitting in her chair 24 hours a day. I never know what I’ll find when I visit. Sometimes I’ll tie myself in knots contemplating what she’s going to be like when I get there. I dream of other solutions and ways of bringing her home… although home ceased to be home to her before she went into care.
Would she have been like she is now if I hadn’t placed her in care? I don’t suppose I’ll ever know. All I can do is live with my decision and be vigilant.
aged carer experience 