Ok.. wow. I just looked them up a bit more and I have to say I have NEVER seen anything like this. They seem to be quite happy where they are so maybe I'll experiment next year too! One thread said that everything is edible. Do you have to cook the stalks or do you just chop them thin?

Nora, Thanks so much for your response...I feel so fortunate to have so many people respond over the past 24 hours. Your idea of a styrofoam ball with yarn is fantastic. My mom knitted and crochet her entire life...learned while in school in 7th grade and actually did it for a living while raising me and my sisters. Now, I have bags full of yarn and I've tried to encourage her, but she won't (I realize now it's probably that she can't). But, if I get the styrofoam balls, maybe, just maybe I can get her interested in winding the yarn around them. I cannot tell you how much this forum has helped me already...For 4 1/2 months, I've been so frustrated with my mom constantly refusing everything I've tried to get her to do. At times, she seems completely fine, so clear headed that I lose sight of the fact that she's losing her mind and at times have actually argued with her!!! How ridiculous! I'm beginning to realize that it's not that she doesn't WANT to do anything, it's that she CAN"T, or is AFRAID that she can't. I can't even begin to imagine what it must be like for them...what are they thinking, what are they feeling? How frightening it must be for them. These are thoughts that I torture myself with. I so want to cure her and take care of her; all I can do is be there for her and let her know that I love her and will always be here for her. Every day, when I leave the house (I go to my main office for a few hours 3 days a week) she asks me "where are you going?" and every day, I say "I'm going to the office" and she says "be careful and make sure you come home" and I walk up to her, every day, give her a big hug and a kiss and I say "I will always come home, and I will always love you." I guess that is all I can do..let her know she is loved and truly cared for and that I won't let anything awful happen to her. Now that I've rambled on so....I do have a question, if anyone is even still reading this...How do you manage caring for your mom knowing that she doesn't have a clue who you are? It must just tear you apart.One more thing Nora...nine years is a long time...how was she through the majority of those years? Was she aggitated? Did she get along with her caregivers? Did she put up a fight about bathing?...I'm done for now....thanks again...you've been more help than you can ever imagine...my heart goes out to all of you for taking the time to respond to me and caring enough to do so....

I'm an only child too, and my mom is 94 years old. Do you have Power of Attorney for both financial and health care? If not, I think that's the first thing you need to tackle. Also, your parents should have a will. These documents need to be drawn up by a competent elder care attorney. You bring up moving them to an assisted living facility. If they actually make the move, how will they finance it? If it's going to be a private pay sort of situation, have you considered hiring in-home aids to help them and also relieve you of some of the responsibilities? There are various agencies that provide in-home care using qualified and screened individuals. Even if your folks eventually have to move into an AL, this option will give you some breathing room. Time to gradually get them adjusted to others caring for them. Time for you to research the best AL facility in your area. Time to take some much needed breaks and see to your own health. Also, check out your community adult day care programs and/or lunch program. Even if they gripe, get them dressed and take them to the day care and lunches a couple of times a week. That way they'll be out of your hair, so to speak, for a couple of hours and they'll get used to a group environment. Sort of what pre-school does for young children. Do you have any help or assistance at all right now? You may need to have an honest and blunt conversation with your parents about your physical & health difficulties. Tell them that's why you absolutely MUST have help. And be sure to never promise that any measure is temporary or that you'll keep caring for them in their home or anything else. No one knows for certain what the future holds, so promises are pretty useless and can be very troublesome. Legally, unless you've been given guardianship, you cannot force a parent into an AL or a NH. However, by bringing in help and taking them to adult day care and lunches, you'll be weaning them from that over dependence on you for everything. They'll learn little by little to accept help from others. That may help them feel better about the situation. Also, you could try something sort of drastic. Take a short vacation or tell them that your doctor has prescribed a weekend health retreat for you. So you'll be gone for three days and someone will come over to stay with them, or better yet, enroll them in a respite program at a local AL. Most assisted living facilities have a couple of bedrooms set aside for respite care when the caregiver must be out of town, etc. They would get acquainted with life at an AL. Maybe, once they participate in some of these types of activities, they'd be less hesitant. Of course, they could prove very stubborn. If that's the case, then use their private resources to get yourself some relief. Or apply to your county & state for government aid to get some in-home caregivers. Some charities have helpful program too.

Good, I'm glad you all seem to concur with my conclusion. I'd hate to give up precious counter space for another smaller sink. Seems like it wouldn't work in my kitchen. I do not like the setup of my frig/oven wall. I will have to work on that when we get to that point!