For the past 6 years we entrusted our parents with taking care of our sister (30-years old) However it seems that things are getting worse as she no longer responds normally to us (I don’t think I need to delve into detail about what happend yet, through those 6 years)
We’re fixing how we treat her given our current state of how we treat/treated her. Recently, she started to take her meds again. My mom baby talks to her. Throughout the day, we let her decide what she wants to do. But when she has to leave, my mom would persuade her (when my mom’s at her limit: emotionally)
Her current state: probably 2/3 of the day is spent on the bed, or walking around the room. 1/3 is spent either walking around the house or we’re eating outside
Bottomline: Should my mom stop babytalking her? Should we continue to let her decide what she (my sister) wants to do, if there is something she wants to do? How can we make her do some activities?
Generally speaking, our family members’s symptoms tend to continue worsening as they are heading into their 30’s.
I do understand that your sister has started taking meds. We often recommend Dr Amador’s book “I’m Not Sick, I Don’t Need Help” for families who are trying to help get their person on medication and into therapy. However, Dr Amador’s LEAP method of communicating has universal application which is highly helpful in helping and understanding our family members. Through LEAP, you can find out what your sister wants to do and that can be the cornerstone for building her life going forward. Keep in mind that changes take years of patience and support.
Treating people with respect is important, habits are hard to break. The general use of “baby talk” is to teach infants speech in early stages.
Some of our family members remain locked in time maturity-wise. My son retained the personality of a 19 year old - which was the time when we had first noticed changes in his behavior. He continued to learn throughout his life, but his underlying spirit remained young. I wonder if there are times when the baby talk is comforting to your sister and mother.
Read Dr Amador for the answers to find out how to help your sister move forward.