Dear Prudence,
My mother and I have always been very close, but lately I’ve been worried about her. She is overweight and has various health issues. She is very sedentary and tends to spend her days watching TV. She will do sewing or crocheting as well, but again, there’s not a lot of movement there. She used to be slightly more active pre-pandemic, but not by much.
Over the past few months I have noticed her quality of life decrease. It has become particularly evident over the holidays that she can barely walk. I know she’s having trouble with her knee and ankle (she had knee surgery on one knee several years ago but keeps putting off getting the other one done). She can barely walk a few steps without holding on to something, and she lives alone. The thing is that she gets super defensive if I try to talk to her about this. I get it—I’m overweight, too, and I would hate if someone talked to me about my weight. But at the same time, I’m so worried about her. My sister has tried to talk to her before, although her approach leaves a bit to be desired. My brother just buries his head in the sand. I want to help her, but I don’t know how.
—Mom’s Health