My mother hates going to doctors and doesn't trust them. She wants to live her life at home. My sister can't help much because she is raising her grandkids, yet tells me if I don't do things right for mom that I can go to jail if something happens to her. Is that true? She did tell her dr that she was hallucinating when he increased her metoprolol to 50. So he dropped her back to 25. She still sees them.
No, you're not going to jail. Don't even worry about that. Caring for our elderly LO's is a hard gig and your sister is being a pain to even suggest that you could get in trouble. You'd have to be guilty of elder abuse before the authorities would be involved. Sounds like sis is playing you--ignore her.
If there are things you want your mom's Dr to know--can you access her My Chart or whatever system they use for communication. Of you have POA for mom you can use that to report to the Dr any new symptoms, w/o having to drag mom into an actual visit.
Of course you want to watch for the dreaded UTI, and for big changes in mood, temperament or mental status, but for the most part, if mom is well and content, you can be assured that nobody is going to report you for anything.
Maybe let Sister take mom for a nice weekend and she can see what a hard thing this elder care really is.
Or, perhaps, tell sister that if you go to jail, mom will be living with her.
Oooooh, the last line in your post should shut up her sister! Love it!
Posts like this are really just a waste of everyone's time here and who knows for what reasons people will take the time to make this stuff up.
No. You can't be sent to jail for your mother's actions. No you are not responsible to take care of her or make sure she's taken care of unless you are her conservator, guardian, or have her POA and it's active.
In a nutshell, your sister is just blowing smoke.
I agree, it's an idle threat.
Hallucinations go with Alzheimer's and dementia for some elders. Her doctor should dx the medication entirely if it's CAUSING hallucinations that were NOT present beforehand, however. Speak to the doctor directly about that. Also, mom should not be left alone at ALL with dementia, it's not safe. If that means she goes into managed care, so be it.
Good luck to you.
No, the sister isn't going to jail either. Nobody is going to jail and everyone already knows this.
If no one has conservatorship, guardianship, or POA for the mother then the state is the one responsible for making sure her needs are being met.
So let's take "trouble " off the menu.
Seems to me like Sis would be better to discuss with you safety issues for your Mom.
While you don't tell us a lot about your mother's hallucinations (which would almost certainly have nothing whatsoever to do with metoprolol), the fact that your mother is having these is indicative of changes that would/could make her a danger to herself without constant monitoring. If this is a sudden change it could indicate bladder infection. If ongoing with other changes it could be a harbinger of dementia making its slow way into her mind.
You would not want your mother in danger from insistence on living alone when she is no longer safe to do so, right?
Your sisters indicating that ANYTHING to do with mom could end YOU in trouble may mean that you are POA for your mother? Is this so? Do you feel competent in this job? Does your sister live nearby? Do the two of you generally collaborate together on keeping mom safe, or is disagreement about "what's best for mom" somewhat the norm?
Speak to your mother’s doctor about her hallucinations. These hallucinations may very well be from other medical problems such as vision problems, dementia, etc.
If she really wants not treatment, it might be time for a hospice evaluation.