Oi Vey!

So, I get a call this morning asking me to call a number, to speak to so and so to perhaps find out if there is public assistance available for Mum. I call. The number is to Adult Protective Services. Great. The gentleman on the other end of the line begins to grill me on the possibility that I am not caring for my elderly mother. That someone called to say that I am incapable of caring for her and at worst neglecting her.

We talk for a bit. I explain that I'm doing the best I can. That apart from the natural ravages of the aging process... she is healthy. That I make sure that she has her meals which I cook and serve to her daily. That yes, my mother does fall on occasion and that a friend who lives close by is on call and available to help me pick her up when that does happen. The conversation then shifted to some other services that I may be able to seek for her. So, the call ended on a positive note.

After hanging up... I call back the person who called me with the number. I carefully explained to her that I really appreciate her and some of the others coming over to visit and chat with Mum... and even helping with the clean-up. (I only wash the dishes in the sink once every 2-3 days... guess when they usually turn up?) That the call from the number I was given by her yielded some useful information and resources. I also explained to her that one of the reasons I had given up a $40, 000 year a job was just so I could be on the homestead... where Mum needed me. (There has been talk among this same group that I was fired.) That I appreciate their concern but did not appreciate being grilled this morning from a social service with the possibility of elder abuse. The call was unemotional and courteous... and to the point. I'm all about "well meaning intentions" but please try to get the full story first before acting.

My thoughts on this whole thing? I am far from the perfect son. I am untidy. I am unconventional. But I do take care of business and the needs of my mother. All of this could have easily been avoided if they had just chosen to speak to me about it. But then... their actions were probably initiated by their already sullied perceptions of me (ruled by their conventional standards of how things should be... a line which I have never towed).

So, great... now that this social service has our details... I'm probably on the radar for elder abuse. Here is that sharp curve on the roller-coaster again. So, that's how my day started.

EDIT: 4:35 PM
So, this has knocked the wind out of my sails. I had planned a grand day of things to be accomplished. As of this writing... only 10 percent has... which now makes me feel even worse. Fuck!