Woman Discovers Caregiving Means Managing Mom’s Never-Ending Door-Locking Epidemic
KEY POINTS
- •The author arranged Medicaid-covered full-time care after nine months of bureaucracy to support her Alzheimer's-diagnosed mother.
- •Daily life includes managing her mother’s 20-30 texts and multiple phone calls about medication and visits.
- •Unexpected challenges like locked doors needing emergency locksmith services add to her ongoing caregiving demands.
Diagnosed 2.5 years ago, the author’s mom needed 24/7 care, which wouldn’t fit in the author’s tiny apartment juggling 2 kids and a full-time job. After a nine-month Medicaid red tape marathon, she scored in-home care, but surprise! Caregiving itself is a full-time gig with zero overtime pay. Mom texts 20-30 times daily asking 'What’s this pill again?' plus 1-10 phone calls repeating the same questions like nature’s most persistent chatbot. Weekly locksmith emergencies ensue from the mom locking herself in rooms, prompting handyman heroics, new doorknobs, and door sabotage experiments. Meanwhile, doctor visits, pharmacy runs, bill paying, family drama calls, and emotional exhaustion pile up, leaving the author wondering when she’ll get to grieve the mother she used to know.
Share the Story
(1 of 3)If caregiving for Alzheimer's was an Olympic sport, this woman’s phone calls, locksmith runs, and paperwork would be the triple-whammy decathlon no one trained for.
Alzheimer’s caregiving: where your mom locks herself in more rooms than you’ve locked yourself out of in life.
Juggling two kids, a job, and a mom who texts Doctor Google 30 times a day. Send help, or doorknobs.
Source: Businessinsider | Published: 8/2/2026 | Author: Wendy Wisner
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