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sand3419
Lv 7
sand3419 asked in Food & DrinkBeer, Wine & Spirits · 9 years ago

My 85 yr old Mom drinks Brandy. I am fine with this, but I take care of her,?

and she is barely able to walk with a walker, she has no strength, I bathe her, and I'm trying to keep her out of assisted living. If she drinks too much, she doesn't eat, is very confused, and it messes with her medicine. I try to limit the amount per day, and it was better during the holidays when she drank eggnog with her Brandy. Now it's just ice. I want to water down her Brandy or find something that she might agree to drink with it, so that she can enjoy it without harming herself, and/or making the situation more difficult than it already is. She has severe arthritis and this does ease things for her, but too much is dangerous in more ways than one.

My question is how can I do this smoothly? What ratio? She drinks E&J because she used to always meet my Dad at the door with it and a kiss when he came home from work.

Any ideas will be greatly appreciated. Thank you~

Update:

You don't understand the problem. I am the caretaker, but I work full time, and I have comfort keepers coming in 3 times a week for 2 hrs. each time. I go over for about 1 1/2 hrs or more every day. We moved her to a 'retirement' apartment (just easier to maneuver in, no additional help there). My mom has already fallen and she can not get up off of the floor 3Xs in the last yr. since we moved her there. She is frail, and incapable of helping herself physically at all. She absolutely does not want to go to an assisted living or other nursing home situation, and so I am trying to keep her where she is. If she does not eat enough, breaks something, gets ill, etc., then I won't be able to keep her there. I have a permanent back injury and can not pick her up off of the floor. I (and she) need to hold on to the small amount of mobility that she has, so that I can take care of her. If she drinks too much she will not be able to maintain this delicate balance, and neither wil

7 Answers

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  • M W
    Lv 7
    9 years ago

    Your Mom is headed for a serious incident. At her age, a small fall can translate into broken bones, especially broken hips. You may think you are doing a kindness by providing her with alcohol, but be prepared for your life to change drastically when she has to have hip surgery.

    She will be bedridden for the rest of her life. There is nothing more disturbing than a sick, old, woman alcoholic.

    I know I'll get a lot of thumbs down, but you need to stop enabling her to drink. You are not doing her any favors by providing the brandy, in fact you could be making her life worse.

    Source(s): I grew up with alcoholic parents, I know all about it.
  • Anonymous
    9 years ago

    Um, she's 85.

    Why not leave it alone? If she drinks every day, she's probably an alcoholic anyway, cutting it will just cause her to have physical withdrawel symptoms.

    There's really not much you can do at this point.

  • postres20022000
    Lv 7
    9 years ago

    Check with her doctor about the brandy, they may be some way to give her some meds or adjust her meds to accommodate her brandy use with out messing with the meds.

  • Linda Ronski
    Lv 6
    9 years ago

    let her drink it, shes 85 years old! she stops drinking that she will die from something else anyway. if i was 85 years old and able to drink i would to

  • ?
    9 years ago

    get her into smoking weed instead, I'm sure it will help the arthritis pain and wont interfere with her medication (as bad as alcohol would, if it does at all)

  • Aero
    9 years ago

    It's just bringing back good memories, so let her. Besides, when she dies you won't have to take care of her.

  • Anonymous
    9 years ago

    At 85, I'd let her do what she wishes.

    Heck, I'd get her cognac if she wanted it... Enjoy in style!

     

    Source(s): PS: From the sound of it, she's going to be prone to falls, injury, lack of mobility, etc. no matter what. So stop being so selfish.
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