Mom Just Wants to Go Home

Unfortunately, Mom had an acquaintance who reinforced her conviction that she was ready to be at home, and even helped Mom leave one facility without being properly discharged. That escapade resulted in her being back in the hospital in 18 hours. This very personal book describes the difficult and heartbreaking journey, complicated by significant financial challenges, legal issues, the complexities of the healthcare systems, and family drama. The experience illustrates how important it is to have open discussions about end-of-life desires with your family members, to review finances, and to make and document plans. Not talking about these things doesn't cause them to go away, it just makes it harder to deal with them. Ultimately, much to her profound disappointment, the reality of mom's physical condition, together with her financial limitations, made her desire to go home unattainable.

Lynda James-Gilboe is a business consultant and writer, with decades of executive experience at companies serving libraries and librarians. She hosts a blog at AdaptLeadSucceed.com covering a variety of leadership topics, with an emphasis on pragmatism, common sense, listening to others, and respect. But it was her role as a daughter of a mom facing her final life journey that prompted her to write this book. That experience tested her ability to adapt to an everchanging landscape of emotions, health conditions, financial decisions, and spiritual questions and inspired her to share her story with others. All proceeds with go to the Kymberly J Harris Scholarship in Long-Term Care Administration at the University of South Florida, School of Aging Studies.