As I have been dealing with supporting my partner in dealing with her aging and sick mother, I am so aware of how really emotionally difficult it is to deal with this situation.  My partner’s (Sue is her name) mother is a very stubborn woman with a variety of serious mental conditions from Alzheimer’s to a strong anxiety/fear based personality that requires medication.

Sue had occasion to have to stand up to the whole medical community in order to get her mother (weak from dealing with infected kidney stones at 94 years old) into on-going rehab so that she could get strong enough to go into a group Medicaid home and be well taken care of.  Even though really hard for Sue, she did it and her mother is now in the rehab she needs.

Don’t be afraid to stand up to the medical “establishment.”  They are not always right in their diagnosis and treatment.  We are most certainly at a time and country where we need to advocate for ourselves and are often called upon to advocate for others in our care.  Don’t let yourself be intimidated by the medical community – they do, if you let yourself think about it, have agendas and allegiances of their own which motivate them.

Having said this, there have also been true “angels” along the way with this who have had her mother’s best interests at heart, while taking into consideration the limitations and emotions of her caretakers (us) as well.  A complex situation, for sure.  And now, added to our “team” of caretakers, are two women (one a lawyer and one a nurse and paralegal) who are helping us to get the very best care for her mom.  And just to let everyone know, getting help is centrally important to handling this well – both internally to handle the psychological reality, and externally to handle the medical/insurance complex.  The name of the firm is Care Law Colorado and the phone number is 720-297-7866 (Pam Hohs).