Hello. My aging mother invited a former voluteer for her animal shelter in Chicago to join her in the small town she now lives in. Since she lives next door with my sister, she allowed this individual to rent her home. Well, immediately there was trouble. The woman, whose husband had abandoned her, washes her hands maybe 30 times a day in bleach and then throws the paper towels on the floor. She and my mother also became sworn enemies when fighting ensued over a dying cat. This woman became thouroughly enraged and called my mother unnecessary names, etc. My sister felt sorry for the woman, and my mother became even more isolated by this "friendship" as she thought it to be. So, unfortunately, the woman in question became a wedge between my mother and sister.

Now, I teach piano in Chicago, and go into people's homes. Some parents of students are having dreadful problems with a tenant who has HD, and they can't wait to get her out. These problems sounded very similar to the problems my mom was having with the woman in question. She did manage to get her out. So now this woman is alone in a small town, without resources. My sister no longer speaks to her. I mentioned to my sister that this woman's behavior is very similar to the Chicago tenant with HD. She remarked that the woman's mother is in a home because of HD.

Now, I wonder if ths woman herself has HD, and what might be done for her, if so, because she is now so isolated.

Are you trying to get her help? She might have some family somewhere that can oversea she gets the help she needs until she is unable to care for herself.
If no family is mentioned by her about all you can do is make a report to county adult protective services so that they are aware of her HD status when things DO go wrong. They won't intervene with her for now if she is not a harm to others & is somewhat caring for herself. Really not much else you can do without taking on responsibilty for her.

That's right LizzieAnn. With our current state of mental health services it is just about impossible to help someone who refuses help even if they are a danger to themselves. From my experience they have to have hurt or directly threaten others before mental health services will intervene.

So so very sad!! I never heard of HD until 2007 when my exhusband was diagnorsed with it. His dad had it but we all never new it we just called them Dad's qurts and laughed never realizing the seriousness of it. I cleaned my in-laws house once a week and he would follow me all around talking to me and I enjoy him, one day he said he wanted to kill himself I told him no please don't we all love you and you will hurt everyone I told our Pastor who came and talked to him but he did it anyway. I really enjoyed his conversations. He said it always felt like his head was going to blow up. He fell off the train where he worked at C & O. I have become very sympathetic to anyone with any kind of disease.

I just would like to do more for my daughter and not sure what. I want her to have friends, go places with them but they all have dropped her. They tell her to call them, she can't anymore. She has changed so much since first diagnosed in March 2011. She just stopped talking or making conversation nov. 2011. She has lost her husband, her home, her children, her right to drive, everything all in less than a year at age 34 in 2011. Life is hard I had so many dreams of what my kids would be and have, just normal things just like my parents & grandparents had, and I had most of my life. But I still say God is good and I wouldn't want to be without Him he gives me hope that equals faith. I still have faith and trust God that knows what he's doing and he's in control and I need not fret or worry. Tracy even has said that "I'll be ok God is with me".

Thanks for your answers. I guess I am concerned for her. Ironically, before I put two and two together, I encouraged my sister to break with her as a friend, although the woman begged my sister to forgive her behavior. And this town is REALLY isolated. I mean, we're all from Chicago, so maybe it just seems so to me, but, there isn't even a traffic light in this place. It's surrounded by farms, and I don't think there are even 500 people all put together in the place.

She's already on disability, and several drugs like Xanax, etc. But, she talks non-stop, and won't be tested for HD, I guess because she's afraid she has it.

I guess I'm just feeling really guilty about insisting my sister blow her off. Thanks for you help, again.

This is a tough call. Does she attend a church...maybe you could call one and clue them in (anonymously if you don't want your family to know) that might offer her help/support? Maybe a pastor could make her feel welcome and help? Maybe there are others in a church or the community that would be kind and understanding and visit her? I understand how this is haunting you. The story bothers me too...but I guess there's only so much a person can do especially if someone doesn't want help as Steve and Lizzie Ann mentioned. I'm not sure what else there is to be done, especially if she doesn't want help.

This is a wonderful idea. It turns out that there are two churches in the town, and my sister is familiar with one of them. I'm going to give it a try. Thanks for your advice.

b

This is a wonderful idea. It turns out that there are two churches in the town, and my sister is familiar with one of them. I'm going to give it a try. Thanks for your advice.

b

Just checking to see if one of those churches are any help for this woman. My father-in-law was adopted when he was a baby by a Pastor & wife from one one of the churches in Armarelo,TX because his mother had HD but no one knew it because in 1928 everyone thought she was an alcoholic. I hope & pray that this lady gets the help she desperately needs soon!