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Successful Homesteading, Issue # 66, I Broke My Mom Out of the Nursing Home
September 13, 2019
Hi,

Issue #66, September 13, 2019

I Broke Mom Out of the Nursing Home

Last month, my mom got sick. She couldn’t eat, and what little she choked down didn’t stay there. I’m in my fifties and could use a little fasting, but Mom’s in her eighties. She grew so weak she had trouble standing.

After visiting the emergency room twice, she was admitted, given antibiotics and two days later sent to a nursing home. They call it rehab, but it’s a nursing home, and as sad as you imagine.

A Learning Experience

During my mother’s brief stay, I learned that most of the people employed there are kind, but overwhelmed. And while most of the workers were great, there was one caretaker, a night nurse who didn’t like her job and vented her frustration on the residents.

She had a bad habit of moving Mom’s water out of reach (she said she didn’t want my mommy spilling it) and later berated her for making a mess on the bathroom floor.

Taking Action

After three days of this, I broke Mum out of the nursing home and brought her back to our place. She lives on our acreage, and her house is 100 feet from mine. I work from home, so visiting her four or five times a day isn’t a problem.

Thanks to an amazing home health nurse, we found out what was wrong. Mom was getting forgetful and not taking the medicines her body needed. It led to a host of problems we were unable to solve until I finally took charge. Now I hand her the meds she needs twice a day, and make sure she takes them. She is slowly getting better.

Can We Really Do Things Ourselves?

I’ve come to realize that elder care is like a lot of things in life. Too often, we’re led to believe we can’t do things ourselves, and our loved ones are better off if we hand them over to the professionals. Sometimes that’s true. More often, it isn’t.

I’ll be the first to admit there are professional educators and nurses who can run circles around me when it comes to teaching and changing bedpans. I had no training as a teacher when I started homeschooling my children, and I certainly don’t have medical training.

But I have the edge over the most highly trained professional in that I know my mom. I understand my children, and I love them. The bonds of family almost always trump book knowledge.

And thankfully, we have home health care. My mom’s visiting nurse is an angel.

Homesteading as a Way of Life

The reason I started on my homesteading journey was because I have never followed the norm. I will always be out of step from the rest of the world, and that’s okay. We are, each one, unique. There will be trials and blunders, but also growth and the love of family. And with that love, we can do great things.

Here’s hoping your homesteading journey is joyful.

Sue

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