Maybe you could get her out slowly? Have her spend weekends in her new habitat and then build from there. Give her time to adjust.
Also, is there some sort of “meditative” activity she liked before she got sick? I don’t think taking care of anything, like a plant or a particularly low maintenance cat, would be a good idea. I think that it would just add stress.
Does she have a therapist set up? Even someone who isn’t “top notch” can help as long as they are non judgmental and a good listener in my opinion. My therapist has never dealt with a sz person to the best of my knowledge but my case is very mild too. Part of the appeal for me of a therapist is they legally can’t repeat anything you tell them unless they think that you are a danger to yourself or others. That fact really comforts me and helps me open up. I don’t know your Mom but for me being able to say what is scaring me, bothering me, ect to someone who can’t repeat it is much better than a diary because diaries can be read. I know that sounds incredibly like paranoia, but I only write in my diary when I am furious with someone.
It isn’t that I have some sort of terrible secrets but she is probably annoyed with a whole lot of people that she can’t say anything too because she knows that her annoyance or resentment is unfounded. I have gotten really, really annoyed with friends sometimes because they have some stupid habit or said something that annoyed me that I just can’t let go of. I am NOT saying that your Mother harbors nothing but love for you, what I AM saying is that if she is anything like me she may be very sensitive. Lots of times I get annoyed with or feel distant from those that I love the most because of stress or bad meds. Or both. So if your Mom shows these things just know that it is stress.
If someone from the hospital is staying with her mentally (she may have made some friends that she feels like she will miss or she does miss when she finally gets out) a therapist can help her make new friends or maybe find a way to visit them, call or write.
If I say something about it to someone else the worry or annoyance disappears for me.
For example: I told one of my friends about how my suite mate (I’m in college) never seems to contribute anything to our shared bathroom like the shower curtain or toilet paper. But once I said it, it was gone. Any of that bother was completely erased from me. I am very fond of my suite mate. She over heard me say that and got mad, but other than that we have only spoken about twenty words to each other. I like my alone time. I appoligized and we worked out a better plan but I would have rather her not have heard me because she is upset now and none of it bothers me any more. Something that trivial was not worth bringing up. Sometimes I still worry that she might be upset by what I said even though I apologized profusely (and I really did mean it).
There are also things that you can’t admit even to yourself that you can tell a therapist. For example I was worried that a couple of my professors were hitting on me but I was worried to even think that because that would be narcissistic. I am very full of myself any ways so this is a valid concern. I think that I was right but being able to say it even when I didn’t want to say it to myself gave me a lot of relief. (Note: it wasn’t that they were hitting on me, hitting on me, they just seemed very taken with me and that’s what made me nervous).
I don’t generally have delusions though. So there is that difference between us to take into account.
But finally (and most importantly) take care of yourselves. You can’t help her if you are burnt out and over stressed. It is bad for both of you. You will feel cruddy and she will feel cruddy because she feels like she is forcing you to take care of her (even though you are doing it because you love her and you want too). I feel that way sometimes when my Mom has to come stay with me or has to come get me because I am freaking out.