Need emotional support regarding my mom

June 26, 2015 5:33 AM

Hi! My mom never leaves the house and pretty much never has for the last 20 years. She has physical issues but no social anxiety really, it has just become a habit. Anyway I have posted before about her, I am asking about me now.

Can anyone point me to anything giving emotional support to me as someone with a close relative in this position? Anything - videos, books, forums, would be helpful. I've tried googling but only get people talking about their own social anxiety and not going out. I'm not interested in that.

Any resources would be very helpful. Thanks in advance.

posted by low_horrible_immoral to Human Relations (7 answers total)

For assistance with finding emotional support resources, you can contact NAMI:

The NAMI HelpLine is a free service that can be reached at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or [e-mail] for information, referrals and support for people living with a mental health condition, family members and caregivers, mental health providers and the public.

Since this may become more complex as your mom ages, you may also want to look into elder care resources in your community:

The U.S. Administration on Aging (AoA) offers a searchable online directory of state and local Area Agencies on Aging and a telephone referral service at [phone] for a variety of resources, including supportive and caretaker services, elder justice and health promotion programs.

The Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) offers a searchable online Eldercare locator.

via the MeFi Wiki Get a lawyer page, which includes a collection of AskMe threads related to elder care issues.
posted by Little Dawn at 6:59 AM on June 26, 2015

Best answer: There are support groups for caregivers that offer understanding and emotional support. In the case I am aware of, the carer was someone who was doing round the clock in-home support, so maybe not every group is just right for you (since I didn't see that in your post), but you can look up info for groups near you and see if they fit.
posted by puddledork at 7:11 AM on June 26, 2015

Response by poster: Thanks. I'm not at home with her and am in the UK (apologies, I put mom to make it harder to search for). Your replies really appreciated though, anything is useful.
posted by low_horrible_immoral at 7:41 AM on June 26, 2015

Have you already looked at sites addressing the physical issues your mom suffers from? You might find some resources if you look for "(illness) + family support".
posted by cotton dress sock at 8:31 AM on June 26, 2015

Best answer: I'm not sure what part of your mother's situation is weighing on you the most
Is she deny assistance that might otherwise let her go out despite her physical issues? That might have a flavor of agoraphobia and you could find resources there (maybe starting with NAMI)?
Is that the worry and concern that things are bad and you can't help? Look for support for children of aging or elderly parents.
If you just need a supportive place to vent, with no advice, try 7 cups of tea, a free resource that will connect you to people trained as active listeners.
posted by metahawk at 8:59 AM on June 26, 2015

Best answer: The MeFi Wiki There is Help page includes UK resources and collected AskMe threads. Also, SANE is based in the UK and offers "a national, out-of-hours mental health helpline offering specialist emotional support and information to anyone affected by mental illness, including family, friends and carers."
posted by Little Dawn at 10:37 AM on June 26, 2015

Response by poster: Thanks all :)
posted by low_horrible_immoral at 11:00 AM on July 16, 2015