Elder abuse and scams are so common and scary.

Anonymous wrote:I mean, I would only worry about the trouble it brings you if something happens. Since she is an adult and you are not obligated to go save her from some hospital abroad, I would let her be. Just have some boundaries in mind, like, I’ll rescue her from X situation but not Y.

This, but I think the right thing to do is communicate the boundaries. We found with age our parents got more self-centered and less empathetic. it didn't matter what stressors and demands we had, they expected to do as they pleased AND have us rescue at a moment's notice. We had to make it clear what we could and could not do for them. People who only dealt with a emergency or 2 sometimes don't understand, but we have been dealing with emergencies for a decade. it becomes unsustainable and can erode your physical and mental health.

Anonymous wrote:My mother is 86 and the time for her to stop traveling alone is now. She has memory and hearing issues. She had a difficult flight last summer - supposed to be a 1 hour nonstop where we dropped her off at the airport and waited until she boarded. Then it was delayed and diverted due to weather. Took 9-10 hours and in her confusion she didn’t take her luggage off the plane. She’s declined more since then so that’s her last solo flight.

I’ll add to that she doesn’t really use her cell phone so we didn’t know about this until the next day when we got a call about the luggage. Frankly the refusal to use the phone is the biggest safety issue.

My mother is 86 and the time for her to stop traveling alone is now. She has memory and hearing issues. She had a difficult flight last summer - supposed to be a 1 hour nonstop where we dropped her off at the airport and waited until she boarded. Then it was delayed and diverted due to weather. Took 9-10 hours and in her confusion she didn’t take her luggage off the plane. She’s declined more since then so that’s her last solo flight.