OK, so this is a little hard to do but by making this account I feel that I am not only trying to help my Mom but also bring awareness to mental health and dementia. My Mom, Valerie has always had issues with depression and anxiety. The degree to which this has impacted her lifestyle and health is pretty alarming. My Mom has been in and out of mental health facilities since I was born. Although she was a really great Mom, at times her mental health prevented her from fulfilling normal motherly duties and responsibilities which is why as many of you know that my Grandparents and Dad were able to provide me with the stability I needed growing up. One thing that my Mom never lacked was her work ethic. She always worked hard to provide a roof over my head.

After all her hard work, unfortunately, she doesn’t have much to show for it. Now she is in a position where she is barely eating, barely sleeping, and non-stop wandering. She now has been diagnosed with dementia. Although this process happened fast, those who are close to me saw a decline. In the last year, she was sent to numerous mental health facilities after being discovered wandering around lost. They determined her as a baseline that needed to be in constant care with redirection. Wes and I tried to get her in a good and safe place but she once again wandered away in the middle of the night and in a rain storm. From there she declined fast at the hospital to where it was determined she had dementia at this point and her psych issues weren’t the main concern.

I found her a wonderful assisted living that she is just now getting used to. I have lots of work ahead of me to get her on Medi-Cal and disability to help with the cost of care. Her care is extremely pricey and while we are waiting on both of those to kick in we need as much help as we can possibly get. She provided a home for me for so many years and worked so hard to make sure I was safe, it’s now my time to do the same

Things my Mom has taught me: to be kind to everyone, to be independent and work hard for myself, to be a strong woman and not to depend on anyone, to love myself (even though it was hard for her), to laugh and act like a kid, to love animals, to love music (especially Fleetwood Mac) and to cuddle up on the couch with a good warm blanket and watch a silly or scary movie with my loved ones (that’s my favorite past time with her).

Many people keep asking how they can help. By contributing to this go fund me, even the smallest amount will help because it's more than we have now.

Thank you ❤️
Heather Carlson