My mom was a single mom to me and my sister. My sister was bipolar and beat me mercilessly. My mom also was abusive and super controlling and downright mean. Now she is 85, the rest of the family has abandoned her for her past behavior. She is my mother...I am a Christian and believe in honoring your parents. She has dementia now and will snap and return to her abusive ways. I am afraid of her when she does this. I shake and have extreme difficulties handling it.
Being a Christian does not mean you have to be a martyr.
You do not have to sacrifice your lifestyle along with your mental and physical health to "honor" your abusive mother.
Put her into a memory care facility. You can honor her by being her advocate and making sure she is being well taken care of.
Being a Christian myself I can tell you that NO WHERE in the Bible does it say that we have to continue to be abused by someone just because they're our parent.
So please Gwindollyn, step away from this very dysfunctional situation as you and your mental health matter too.
I have a friend who has taken abuse from her mother all her life. Because she had to honor her parents. Had to be the obedient daughter. So what if her mother slapped her around, told her she was fat (despite being a size 6) and told her she needed a nose job to fix her big ugly nose?
My friend is 51 and her mother has dementia. Mother has hit her hard enough to leave bruises. Accuses her of stealing money. Friend is so worn down and miserable. She has no self confidence and has resigned herself that she has to take her mother’s abuse. Because that’s what a good Christian daughter does. What a waste of one’s life!
Do you think God is happy to see you, His child, being hurt like this? Why do you feel obligated to be a punching bag for her? Don’t you matter too?
Can you limit your visits, leave when she starts getting abusive, maybe just check in by phone?
I would talk with your pastor or a wise spiritual person/counselor about what honoring a parent looks like in your unique situation. In my opinion, allowing someone who is ill to abuse me, isn’t honoring them.
Of course you're afraid of her! You've been repeatedly traumatized by your sister and your mother. They chose not to honor your spirit or the expression of God in you. But now you are an adult and have the power to leave the situation forever. Does God want you to live in an abusive situation? Never.
If you don't dump mom and everything that has to do with her, you are consigning yourself to a miserable life that may be shortened because you chose to subject yourself to the situation.
Matthew 11:28 says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." This is Jesus' invitation to rest. It's about taking care of YOURSELF. It reminds a believer that rest comes through knowing Christ and walking with him. All other self-care practices follow from there.
Please take care of yourself first. Forget "honoring your parents." In this situation it's nothing but baloney.
Call Adult Protective Services and let them take care of mom. You have no obligation to do so.
I wish you luck and feel sadness that you've endured the difficulties that your mom and sister have heaped upon you.
I am not religious so cannot speak to that point. What I can say is you are no good to anyone if you do not take care of yourself.
Look towards the state, get your mother help, but reality is if you are afraid of your mother your probably are not providing quality care to begin with or sooner rather then later you will burnoo6 and the quality of care will lessen.
Look into placement options, if need be look into having her become a ward of state. If you cannot separate the past from the present with your mom then tbh you do not need nor should you be doing this. If people judge you and are Christian then they were not very good Christians to begin with.
Your mom doesn’t know who you are yet you may be a trigger for her just as she is for you. Ask the staff if she is the same with them as she is you? If not, I would honor her by leaving her in peace.
If she is, then ask if they have a geriatric psychiatrist who could adjust her meds. What a relief for her and all in her care team if she could find some peace within herself.
Read a little about EMDR. It might offer you some relief from past traumas. Another way to honor your mom is to take care of her daughter … yourself. No doubt your mom had her own demons to have been such a horrific patent.
The trauma you lived with growing up is not worth living this way.
Apply for medicaid and get her moved. You can visit when you choose. She is not going to change.
Since mom moved to an entirely different state, into an AL she is probably reeling from all the changes. Dementia is often made worse with moves.
Remember that you matter too.
Are you helping her go to activities, meals, meet new people? I recommend having every visit be a get to know your new home and neighbors, find activities that you enjoy and NOT spend much time alone together.
I would not stay so long everyday either. Quite frankly, I don't know what people can talk about for hours a day and that could lead to frustration or attitude.
Another thing to be mindful of, is she in the right level of care? This can change pretty drastically and you need to be her advocate to ensure she is receiving the right level of care.
Best of luck, this sounds horrible for you and scary for her.
Many forum members, especially daughters, are abused by their elderly moms, while they care for them. The moms were abusive against their daughters their whole lives, not just in old age.
In case it’s useful for you, take a look at this thread. Various ideas on that topic:
https://www.agingcare.com/questions/how-did-you-heal-from-the-narcissistic-abuse-of-your-elderly-lo-478073.htm?orderby=recent&page=1�
It can be very tiring to have to interact with someone for too long. For you and her.
Also pay attention to the time of day that you visit. Mornings might be better than afternoons for example.