Aiming to Provide for Senior Weak Mother

Recently my mother accidentally got out of balance, fell on the pavement and fractured her right hip.

She is 74 years old, prior to that incident she can still walk, commute and open her small store Manila.

I sell home-baked items online. Both of us tries to earn to sustain house rent, food and utilities. However due to her fractured hip, she has to undergo hip replacement which cost around P 300,000 including hospitalization for more than a month.

After the successful operation, she was in pain and had hard time doing physical therapy. She doesn't want to eat or drink thinking that it will refrain her from urinating and having bowel movement. Her health deteriorated. After 2 months in the hospital she finally came home. For a week she just sat in the sofa, also sleeps while seating, she refused to lie down. Barely drinks water and eats food. Everyday is a constant battle for me to have her drink or eat. We are only 2 by the way. After a week of in the house, I have to rush her again in the hospital, because she was too weak, can't even say a word, almost like dead sitting on the sofa. She was admitted for a week, due to UTI.

After the UTI case she went home, this time she can drink a little water, however it takes a lot of time for me to convince to drink and eat even in small portions. Even to drink her medication and vitamins. While taking care of her I also have to work, since she can't work anymore and our bills are piling up.

It was really tough. I was juggling running a small food stall near our house, opened a week before she fractured her hip, and taking care of her and up keep of the house.

After a week again from her UTI hospitalization, she has to go to the hospital again. She was having a hard time urinating, she was in pain to the point of crying. And I could not do anything. She also vomits all the food she eats, even just a sip of water. So I called an ambulance and rushed her to the ER, this time the doctor's findings was Acute Kidney Failure. Thank God the medicine worked and she doesn't need to undergo dialysis, otherwise financially, physically, emotionally I wouldn't be able to handle it anymore.

The doctor discharged her after 5 days. She regained her appetite, but still a lot of persuading for her to eat and drink. I tried to hire house help for her needs and to help me as well around the house. Unfortunately she doesn't get along with the 2 house help I hired. First house help left in a month's time and the 2nd left within 2 month's time. I don't know if because she is jealous that my attention to her is divided that's why she argues or fights the house helps to make them leave.

I also had a physical therapist to come at our home to give her sessions. However due to her stubbornness, we only finished 3 sessions. And I can't handle the expenses by myself anymore. The new food stall I opened was doing well only for 3 weeks, after which we experienced drastic decline in sales. But I still tried to endure, borrowing money from friends just to operate the stall hoping it will give us a stable income.

But the overhead is too high, I have 2 staffs, the rent is too high and the sales is barely enough for the salary of the staff. Plus expenses for my mother's diapers, vitamins and etc. Leaving me in debt to my lessor, I have to pay overdue rental of 3 months. Which I don't know where to get the money from. Sales is not coming in.

I have to decide but to close the store after 7 months of trying. Even if it's Christmas season and I want to make the staff happy and with jobs, however with the given financial crisis I'm experiencing, I have to let them go 2 weeks before Christmas. Closing the small food stall will mean zero source of income for me and my mother. Plus the ballooning debt I have to settle. My homemade dessert is not selling enough as well.

The area where I'm renting started with 7 tenants, within 3 months of opening 3 already pulled out, one pulled out last month. I'm following suit.

I'm trying to look for a job, however I can't leave home for too long, since no one will assist her or keep her company. I'm an only child. My mother is now very thin, her muscle has atrophied due to lack of movement. But she can now slowly use her walker, but still unwilling to do toilet or commode training.

I'm hoping to start up again with selling food, but I don't have any capital anymore nor money to pay our house rent. Our relatives won't be able help us since they have their own financial concerns as well.

I'm hoping to look for a better location for a food stall or any opportunity to sell food again for us to survive with daily bills and food expenses. And settle all my debts and save for future hospitalization of my mother.

I have some lumps in my ovaries that my doctor needs to monitor, her office has been messaging me to come and make another round of ultrasound to see if the lumps are gone or if it transitioned to something else. I have to put that on the back seat, since check-ups and tests are costly.

I'm knocking on your kind hearts to help us.

Thank you.