COMING TOGETHER--8

My mother has been lying to me about walking outside the apartment. She says she's going to go get her mail but then she just lays down and goes to sleep. I am angry about her lying more than anything.

I've thought about telling her she's a liar, I've thought about physically making her walk or about calling the physical therapist back against her wishes. Right now she is asleep, so I will just have to see what hasppens today.

I think I will have to be patient for the time being until I can show my mother the seriousness of what she's doing. It is nearly time to wake her up.

This might be our only real problem, but then that might be wishful thinking. Maybe this is typical--there is one area in which the elderly person just doesn't want to co-operate. I know it is easier for mom to do nothing due to age. I saw this with my uncle. Now I have to deal with it and it is unpleasant. But here we are. She might like to go to sleep and not wake up, but I have to get her up.

I have to get her up. She hates to get out of bed. This morning she called me 'mean' because I made her get up. I took this humorously. I had to prod her, argue with her, push her, make her get out of bed.

But once she got out of bed she was all right.

Once she gets her blood circulating she is all right.

Later in the morning, we were speaking of the end of her life. She doesn't seem to fear death any more. She said, 'When my number is up, it's up.'

Maybe sleeping slips her into depression.