My sister & I have started to alternate care for mom every 2 to 3 weeks as I live out of town but have made a commitment to help with her care. Each time I come to takeover, mom has been neglected & the house is filthy. The first time I was appalled to find these conditions & immediately went to work & improved her & her surroundings. My sister is there physically but sits in front of the tv all day & does nothing. No meals are cooked, no housework is done etc & the first time I went, there were no cleaning supplies in the house at all. I find myself doing all of the work every time I take over, which includes moms personal needs as well. When I ask mom to ask her to help me out she gets angry! I know I can’t change my sister but how do I come to terms with her laziness and lack of empathy for my mom because everything is “too much trouble”?
Turn up to help & have all that too?...
Resentment?
Is that what you feel?(understandable imo)
Dictionary says resentment: bitter indignation at having been treated unfairly.
But you're right - you can't change your sister.
So what to do? Keep doing your care your way & letting her care her way?
Or get a whole new plan.
My gosh, if my sister came here every 2-3 weeks to give me a break, I would be so damn thankful. Kuddos to you for stepping up to help!
Still, I understand about your frustration with the cleaning. How about you stop doing it too and hire a cleaning person on mom's dime? Take mom out to lunch while the cleaners are doing their thing, maybe she will like that idea? Maybe sister will too?
My mom made a bazillion excuses for my siblings and had high expectations from me because I was the responsible one.
I was the one who did the most until I burned out!
It isn’t uncommon for mom’s to have favorites too.
Call your area agency on aging. Ask for a needs assessment for your mom. Find out what services are available. Is it your mom that gets angry or sister that gets angry? I would get some scales in the house and weigh your mom each time you come in and when you leave. what are your moms health issues that she needs care? Is she taking her meds?
I know it’s discouraging but something must be going on with your sister to be so passive aggressive. Does she speak to you, is she animated? Does she leave the home when you come in?
I’m missing something. Your mom must have eaten in three weeks. Who manages moms finances? There must be more to this story.
Regardless of the reason, you are understandably upset and I’m sorry. If this isn’t what you agreed to, you need to ask sister what her intentions are. If she lives with your mom and mom wants her there then that’s harder as your mom may be afraid to be alone. Your sister may be burned out if she has been there a long time and your coming in is recent.
I would try to have a talk with your sister and find out what is wrong. If this is normal for her, then you may have to renegotiate what you are willing to do.
Is your sister dealing with any healthy or physical limitations? Can outside help come in to help with your mother's physical care? How are meals being provided to your mother and by whom? What does your sister do all day besides watch TV and your mother?
I would not put your mother into the middle of it. However I also sadly have no answer for how to come to terms with it, unless you kick your sister out of the picture and document your time and efforts and /or hire someone so you get a reprieve/respite. If you are doing more than your fair share, maybe you might want to invest in a consult with a certified elder law attorney and see about creating a caregiver agreement so that somehow you are compensated for your efforts, and your sister, significantly less considering her lack of efforts.
I worked for a man whose family stripped his house down. He still had couches, chairs, dining table, but nothing there to take. Even his cooking utensils and things, were nothing anyone would want. He was still very comfortable, had an old TV, and could watch his videos, and they didn't have to worry. He still had everything he needed.
Not a lot of things to get dirty other than dishes or maybe crumbs. Easier to clean.
You could try that.
Or get some help with a carer. Maybe they can be buffer between you and sis and do some light cleaning. Keep it up, do a load of wash.
Or move her to a small apartment. Everything on 1 floor. Less to keep up. I know when my parents health went, the house seemed to need new everything. Even a roof!
That way you can help with mom but not be overwhelmed with care of a house if she is in one. And you can stop fighting with sis. If you cont to fight it will probably get worse. Eliminate the problem. It does you know good to get upset. She proved she will do bare minimum. Get it done now. You dont want situation to get worse.
I gave up some time ago trying to help her. Then she actually TOLD me to not touch or move her 'things'. I knew it bothered her when I took out the newspapers and tried to organize a little, but I didn't know it really was the problem to her that it was.
Now when I visit, I visit her in the common living room and don't even go into her apartment at all.
With this being said, I would try to keep peace with my sister. I know it may be hard but some things are best to work through.
I would handle this situation by getting the home cleaned spotless. From one end to the other. Then, I would tell sis, "I got the home clean and let's keep it this way."
Help her to understand, it takes "little effort" to keep things picked up after her and mom. I n doing so, there should not be too much out of place between 2 to 3 weeks.
As far as her meals, the weeks you are not there, I would arrange for Meals on Wheels to bring her out nutritious meals.
Also, make it known to your sister you would appreciate her helping you to keep mom home.
Try not to get angry because it could make matters worse.
I think there are seldom two people with the same standards of cleanliness. My Mom always felt to keep things looking neat was the key to their not noticing the dust-bunnies under the bed.
For me I kind of like it both neat and clean to the extent that my daughter always worries when I visit, which is SAD. Because honestly I couldn't care less. One day during a visit I observed to her "You know there's the greatest product for getting mold out of the grout" and she looked SO SAD when she replied to me "Mom, do you have any idea how hard I tried to get this house perfect for your visit". (Turned out the stuff had embedded itself in the latex caulk someone used for repair and even I couldn't get it out!!). I felt so bad, and we talked. I hated that she felt she had to live up to some standard. She has such a wonderful home. Full of beautiful things. And here my control issues made her feel bad about it.
I think try to understand your standards are maybe a bit high. And offer, if you like, a housekeeper once a week? Once a month? Clearly your Mom is HAPPY, and isn't that what it is all about?
I think Hailey's idea of meals on wheels is also good, and if cooking is what you do, put in a few casseroles. You can feel proud of yourself you are doing so well, happy you have a sister to help so you aren't on for 24/7, and look on the bright side of this much as you are able for what you BOTH are doing for your Mom.
I agree with Alva's observation (taken on a bit of a tangent) that when you have two siblings you will very often find one that is organised and disciplined, and one (me, e.g.) who is more of a hopeless piglet. Has something like that ever been the case with the two of you?
Our dear mother’s concept of “filthy” and “lazy” are so different from all the kids and grandkids that we all would experience HIGH stress if she planned to visit. It was not a happy occasion, which is unfortunate but true. My sister and I both moved out within days of turning 18.
Can you be a little more descriptive of the situation? Your comments make it almost seem like it needs to be reported to the authorities. If not that serious, several people have offered great suggestions here.
My house is clean enough to be healthy
And dirty enough to be happy.
I've lived by those words ever since.
Caregiving is never a pleasant task. It is a sacrifice.
Some people are able to manage fairly well and some through no fault of their own are cut out for it.
Please do not expect perfection from yourself or others. No one is perfect!
Sometimes caregiving is frustrating because it simply isn’t practical at that time in their life.
I am glad that you reached out to this forum.
Speak to a therapist if you want to go one step further. It helps to have an objective perspective on a situation. Have an open mind.
My therapist shared his view of caregiving which was, “Caregiving is a responsibility that can grow into a burden that we have willingly or unwillingly accepted in our lives.
If we become miserable and it’s no longer feasible, we must make arrangements for others to do the ‘hands on’ care.”
My therapist went on to say that we benefit most from making decisions based on reality.
It isn’t healthy to make decisions based on our siblings or parents views.
Life is about compromise. No parent or sibling should expect continual care from a family member, especially without pay.
Wise assessment and advice!
It helps to hear the truth because acceptance of truth is great motivation for positive change.
Suppression of truth, denial of truth, never works for anyone.
It isn’t fair to you, your mom or your sister if there is resentment or a lack of harmony in the house.
Caregiving requires team work to be successful.
People don’t accept accountability or responsibility unless they choose to. Ideally all persons involved should speak to a mediator to work towards resolving issues.
This situation is impossible to assess without knowing all details.
Maybe you’re a fanatic about cleaning and organization.
Maybe you are reasonable and stressed out from your sister’s messy habits.
My advice is if the budget allows, please hire a housekeeper.
Do you feel this is a personality clash?
See if mom will pay for a housekeeper. If not, politely ask your sister to share the cost if each of you can afford it.
Forget this, “keep the peace” philosophy. I grew up in a household like that. No one wins except the person that gets their way.
If you or your sister are tiring of caregiving, it happens, ask mom to hire help. Then your visits with mom are on your terms.
Figure this out, for all of your sakes, even if it means going to therapy to have an outside, objective professional assessment.
Wishing you and your family all the best during these difficult times.
External help may be needed! Otherwise you will end up cleaning up after both of them.
I can think of a number of reasons besides laziness. For instance, are you sure your sister is physical and mentally healthy. I have seen a lot of people who are really sick, won't admit their illness because they have been like that so long. Be empathetic to your sister. In her mind she is probably doing the best she can.
Whatever, the reason your sister is not performing up to your standards, seems to me a focus on whether your sister is putting your mother in an unsafe environment. If so, you could enlist help from senior protective services.
Identify problem (to you) areas, such as dishes piled in the sink, dirty oven/kitchen, and seek solutions (paper plates instead, e.g.).
This happened to my friend. He was in shock when he got home.
I really tried to be totally empathetic when he called me but I couldn’t help but crack up!
Fortunately, he has a great sense of humor and ended up laughing.
He felt better when I told him that a carpet cleaning company would solve his messy issue!
Have housecleaners come in a couple times each week when sister is on duty. Of course, sister's or your mom's finances should pay for this.
Move mom. It might be difficult in the beginning, but having mom nearer to you would ensure that her needs are met and her home stays nicer. Seems your mom would need only a small place that would be easier to keep clean. Then, your sister could be the one to travel and you could make sure things are done more consistently because you could "pop" in to visit regularly.
Meals on wheels can be set up to provide meals for mom and sister when she is on duty. Otherwise, frozen meals and shelf stable meals can be purchased for when sister is on duty.
Groceries and supplies: make shopping list with sister and order online. Either have a shopper who delivers to the house (like Shipt) or sister and mom can pick them up at the store. Of course, this should be paid for with sister's and mom's finances.
Please check mom's finances. make sure mom's bills are paid and sister isn't dipping into her accounts.
Ask sister to see her doctor. She may be suffering from depression - so many people are during this pandemic.
My dad would get very annoyed with my brothers’ behavior too.
He knew that he couldn’t change them. It was frustrating for him.
I adored my father. He loved and respected me.
I cherish the memories I have of my father.
Stop saying anything to either one of them about the care of your mom or the dirty house.
Do just the amount of work you would normally do with both your mom and the house.
Or clean up just your mom and her bedroom and bath only.
If your sister doesn't cook, there shouldn't be a lot of stuff to clean in the kitchen, so don't. They must order in or eat microwaveable food and that's their business too.
Every one takes care of things differently so instead of being upset with sis and making mom angry when you mention it, just change yourself because that's tge only thing you can change.
A side thought is if your mom has the money and can afford it and wants too, you could have a cleaning service come in once a week, even the weeks you come and that way you have more time for nice visiting then cleaning all the time you're there.
I'm guessing your sister has a life outside of caring for her mom, family, kids, work, ect. 2-3 weeks is way too long of a shift, maybe alternate every week? I cared for my aunt all by myself for over an entire year, and it was eating away at me with high stress levels, and lost time that I could have spent making money. I gained thirty pounds, and found myself having next to no leisure time at all. Eventually, she stopped cooperating with me because she thought I was after inheritance. (She has late-stage dementia, so it's not really her fault.) At that point, I had to let her go to an old folks home. I'm not even in her will by the way. She removed me from her will, because she actually thought I was caring for her because of inheritance.
If I could go back in time, then I wouldn't have cared for her at all. She had money to hire a housekeeper, as well as anything else she could possibly need. My health suffered greatly, and I'm still working on losing all of this excessive weight slowly. I'm also in great debt thanks to Covid-19, as I was working a part-time job at a gym that was immediately cut. Part-time work was all I could do, thanks to having to care for my aunt, but even now I'm jobless thanks to Covid-19.
If your mom can't do basic things for herself, then I'm sorry, but it's time for her to be sent to a greater place of care. No one should be expected to do everything for another person, because it's far too time consuming for no pay. Can she cook her own meals? Does she clean her messes up? Can she get up and walk around on her own? Does she give you any trouble? Does she smoke, or blast the tv because she can't hear? These are all important things that we should know ahead of time. Sometimes they can make caring for a person intolerable.
and also, depending on your sister, she may not be willing. I found through time that my sister was a narcist - very selfish and so I have just started doing the work myself. I just focused on mom and her surroundings and ignored my sister 100% as a source of any assistance. We are all programmed differently and it will upset you more to focus on her than it is your mom - it is terrible and cancerous but they have no understanding of what it is to be a great caregiver because everything is about them. If you are POA you can enforce things like cleaning service and take over your moms account to provide safe and clean environment but the doctor needs to declare her incompetent so you should take her to the doctor " tell her its for covid" - check the will and all important documents and keep them near you asap. Learn as much as you can. Good Luck and sorry that you are suffering - Dementia is horrible and no one wins.
If she used to do these things, is it possible with you being out of town, sis has been dealing with mom much more than you prior to this current arrangement. She may be burned out. Mom and sis have become used to the situation. When you argue with sis, mom wants to avoid the bickering and leave it as is. Neither of them probably care anymore about what gets done.
Not sure if you mean sis lives there all the time - but - tell them both the conditions are going to get sis in trouble and mom placed in facility. If sis is there all the time, she's on call 24/7. Not always big tasks, but take it from others who live with the parent - you can't start and finish anything without interruption. Leaving the room to wash dishes is when you get 1000 questions about something. After years of this, your brain is like having attention deficit - it is very hard to start something, figure out what to start, and changes you.
As for meals - you say no meals cooked - so are both of them just living on fast foods? I mean, they have to be eating something.
Use mom's finances to hire someone to come in and clean weekly. If you come on weekend, then have cleaning day be on a Thurs or Friday so you aren't so angry when you enter the house. You might be able to spend some of your time there doing meals to put in the freezer.
pls note I don’t know one way or another however usually the truth lays somewhere in the middle. Have you asked yourself why you weren’t around for your mom ( until a little bit now at this late stage of things)
Did you assume the worst ( labeling your sister as lazy) rather than asking how she’s doing, how she’s feeling? If you have knowledge of caregiving you’d know how draining it’s known to be, so frankly that raises the question if having known this why you didn’t try to help your sister out so her health would stay in okay shape and avoid stress and burnout