One Day in the Life of a Wolf

[MacTheWolf]

Friday morning I told mom I was going to the Humane Society to get a rabies shot for my white german sheppard. The trip took longer than I thought and mom, of course, panicked. She frantically called 911 saying, "my son is missing, my dog is missing, and I'm all alone and scared." When I arrived home, the police were awaiting me. They chewed me out because my house was cluttered, messy and overrun by mice. Office on aging showed up ten minutes later followed by Adult Protective Services.

I was given a choice: allow them to take mom to a hospital for 10 days to two weeks or go to jail for charges of "elder abuse." I accepted the former and they took mom away. Cops and A.P.S. said mom could return when house is both uncluttered and mouse free.

Uncluttering and general house cleaning is the easy part. I plan to spend one day cleaning each room. Mice wise, I'll need to have the house tented and fumigated. During fumigation, dogs can stay in back yard but cat and I need to find a cheap motel for 24 hours.

Today I cleaned her room and discovered all her blood pressure meds, nerve meds and sleeping pills were missing. I panicked. When I visited mom at psych ward tonight, head nurse reassured me they had all of mom's meds. Would have been nice if they had told me as they were taking mom's meds from the house.

Anyone know how much they'll charge to tent a house?

[sag111]

WOW i am sorry to here that and no i am not sure how much that will cost but i bet it isent cheep.All i can say is i am so sorry you have to go through this

[SplitDik]

That is both a sad and somehow funny account Wolfie.

I'm sure you were not abusing an elder, but perhaps your ability to keep up the housework and to properly monitor her (obviously) paranoic tendencies, does warrant considering getting her some trained caretaker.

However, I assume you are not overly wealthy, so unfortunately I'm not sure what options you have that would actually be better for her. The most important thing is getting some sort of daily care worker.

[Riverwind]

Mackie,

First, fire the cat as he is not doing his job.
Next, spend 30 bucks and get mouse traps and fly paper.
Bate traps with peanut butter.
In a week or so you will have gotten rid of most of those little bastards.

So, clean house, set traps, wait for APS to return and show them the dead mices and your traps laid out in the house.

Ask how your mother is doing, or .

Ask them if there is anything else you can do, be nice. and remember to say

Go get some beer, order out a pizza, and party.

Any time my friend, always glad to help.

River

[Slammr]

Years ago, when I was first married, we lived in a small two bedroom house. That we had mice soon became obvious. While we were eating, one kept poking his head out from under the refrigerator. I had a pellet gun pistol and blew his head off from my seat at the dining room table. Of course, I couldn't hope to wipe out all the mice that way, so I bought two traps, setting them under the sink in the kitchen before going to bed.

I'd just settled down to sleep when I heard, "snap, snap."

Two mice were in the two traps. I emptied them out, reset them, and went back to bed.

"Snap, snap."

Two more mice, reset the traps, back to bed. "Snap, snap."

Sixteen mice later, I finally got to sleep. I bought poison the next day. It worked better than the traps, and I didn't have to dispose of the dead mice. Since then, I've found that poison seems to be more effective than traps -- if you don't mind having your walls full of dead mice, that is.

[MacTheWolf]

In the recent past I have purchased both snap and glue traps. They work fine if you have around a dozen of the lil varmits. In my case, I believe there is the annual mouse convention meeting here.

Besides, I was told (ordered) by the city, to get the house fumigated, hence tented or else. The else being mom would not return. And since she wouldn't last two months in a rest home, tenting seems to be my only remaining option. Tuesday I find out the COST:P

I'll update as soon as I discover how many of my arms and legs they want.

[A-1]

Years ago, when I was first married, we lived in a small two bedroom house. That we had mice soon became obvious. While we were eating, one kept poking his head out from under the refrigerator. I had a pellet gun pistol and blew his head off from my seat at the dining room table. Of course, I couldn't hope to wipe out all the mice that way, so I bought two traps, setting them under the sink in the kitchen before going to bed.

I'd just settled down to sleep when I heard, "snap, snap."

Two mice were in the two traps. I emptied them out, reset them, and went back to bed.

"Snap, snap."

Two more mice, reset the traps, back to bed. "Snap, snap."

Sixteen mice later, I finally got to sleep. I bought poison the next day. It worked better than the traps, and I didn't have to dispose of the dead mice. Since then, I've found that poison seems to be more effective than traps -- if you don't mind having your walls full of dead mice, that is.

Mackie,

BE careful. Poisoned mice that crawl into a ventilator and die stink pretty bad for several weeks.

Not to be too nosy, but you may need the services of a good attorney before all of this is over. If you mother is that confused, she may have Alzheimer's Disease and if so she should not be left alone.

Keep in mind that if she has a deteriorating mental disease that she is going to get a lot worse, and that at some point, it will be impossible to care for her by yourself. You may have already reached that point.

You may not get to bring her back home, according to what the hospital stay yields in information about her condition. If you have siblings be ready for them to be involved.

You are right, these matters are very, very messy.

Good luck and keep us informed about how you are doing through all of this. I know that it is hard for you.

A-1

[Uncle Flo]

Sorry to hear you have so many troubles all at once. I'm afraid I can't offer advice about tenting a house - I don't think that they do that in this part of the country. --FLO--

[Blaise]

Complicated. I am sorry you are enduring this trouble. You are in my prayers.

[MacTheWolf]

My next steps are as follows:

1. Wait for mom's doctor to call and tell me if she can sign a contract.
2. Have mom sign Power of Attorney for me with notary as witness.
3. Obtain loan of $5,000 - 10,000

If all the above goes through without snags, here is loan money spending.
• Cutting off TV antennae (never used it anyways)
• Tenting the house for vermin, a three day job. $1,400 +
• Board/Care pets $144
• Motel for me thre days
• New bedroom window (rat entrace point)
• New outside back door (mouse entrance point)
• Trim for inside back door
• Trim Palm Tree (city ordered it done)
• Buy lawnmower
• Buy vacumn cleaner
• Brake Job on mom's car
• Back utility bills


Fun huh

[n3rf]

Dear MacDeWolf,
No one can force You to tent and poison the House, when You can go to the Pond and "rent a cat" which will take care of any vermin. Talk to the "humane" people and find out if I am right. The "rent-a -Cat - catfood" is all You have to spend.
Talk also to a lawyer friend who is an Eunuch (prefered) about Your legal rights on this score. I didn't spend so I spent a day or two in jail, but the circumstances was slightly different. What is the specie of mouse anyway and what are their "habits" in eating the House or what. Know everything about these and how not to Yild to "spending" habits"of the rich" (Low Cost technology is the thing) and to be HEALTHY. Who knows most about the Poison ?? Ignorance is no bliss. Take care and be smart..er. Johan-in-Washington, N3RF

[Blaise]

My next steps are as follows:

1. Wait for mom's doctor to call and tell me if she can sign a contract.
2. Have mom sign Power of Attorney for me with notary as witness.
3. Obtain loan of $5,000 - 10,000

If all the above goes through without snags, here is loan money spending.
• Cutting off TV antennae (never used it anyways)
• Tenting the house for vermin, a three day job. $1,400 +
• Board/Care pets $144
• Motel for me thre days
• New bedroom window (rat entrace point)
• New outside back door (mouse entrance point)
• Trim for inside back door
• Trim Palm Tree (city ordered it done)
• Buy lawnmower
• Buy vacumn cleaner
• Brake Job on mom's car
• Back utility bills


Fun huh

Gosh, what a nightmare.

[MacTheWolf]

The exterminator did give me two options:

1. Tent...takes three days and costs $1,400

2. Spray and set traps...cost $700... but takes 6-9 weeks....Mom won't live in confinement that long>

So, I tent

[A-1]

The exterminator did give me two options:

1. Tent...takes three days and costs $1,400

2. Spray and set traps...cost $700... but takes 6-9 weeks....Mom won't live in confinement that long>

So, I tent

Mackie,

A mortgage loan on the house will require an apprasial. It will take some time.

You had better see an attorney or a social worker or both before you spend a lot of money. I am telling you that your mother might be institutionalized.... Especially if they are telling you that she may not be competent.

Try a legal aid network, your local Bar Association will be able to recommend to you where you might be able to get legal help or advice.

Mackie, don't trust 'em. Find an attorney who deals with this kind of thing. The government social workers will lie, lie, lie. They see it as protecting your mother.

Mackie, please listen...


A-1

[MacTheWolf]

I hear ya A-1 and I appreciate your response, interest and concern

I need to borrow because my mom's income is only $1,000 a month...and that's counting her military retirement and social security. My house has to be rodent free...city ordinance. $1,400 is the best price I've found. Most pest agencies don't tent for rodents. Those that do charge from $1,400 to $1,900.

My total income is $152.00 a month in food stamps.

I know mom has Dementia and likely Alzheimers. Months after her stroke, she would forget who I was once or twice a month. Nowadays, she forgets who I am several times a day

I'll check into legal aid. I'm also looking in to getting a Conservatetship (sp) over her so I can make her medical decisions too.

Thanks for the input. This is all new to me.

P.S. being an unpaid caregiver 24/7 for 2 years now does suck but I'd rather do it several more years than have mom in a senior home when she'd be dead in a few months. She needs to be at home with her possessions, cat, dogs and her only offspring, moi.