Hi everyone. I'm hoping this is the right place for me to get some things off my chest. I have an older sibling (7 years older, early 40s) who has learning difficulties and autism. He lives with our mother and has a part-time job. Suddenly, I have been overcome with dread/worry that one day our mother is no longer going to be around and that my brother is going to be 'on his own'. I am trying to come up with a plan that will see him alright; although this will hopefully not kick in for 20 years given the age of my mother, I'll feel more comfortable knowing that we have options when the time comes.
My mother mollycoddles him and seems to do everything for him so I don't exactly know how much he can do in terms of everyday tasks, i.e. washing clothes, cooking, etc. He can do all the bathroom/hygiene things himself so I don't think he would need round the clock care. He also travels around the country on day trips by himself so he does stuff independently. Him and our mother live in social housing and money is not exactly abundant. I've told my mother that I can't live with him due to other factors in my life and relationship and she seems to think that he will end up in sheltered accommodation. Whether this is fantasy or not on her behalf I don't know but she doesn't seem to be keen on planning what will happen.
I live a 3 hour drive away so I was thinking I could go and visit once a month and our siblings can check in on him as they will be more local. Me and my brother barely communicate but I know that he will want to keep his life as normal/familiar as possible so living in the same city as he is now is the only option.
How can I make sure he eats properly? I've been thinking of batch cooking but space is an issue of course. Also, I was thinking of keeping an eye on his bank accounts so I know how much he spends because I don't know how good he is with money and I can't afford to bankroll him completely.
As things stand today, are there any/many support options for middle-aged and older autistic adults but for whom don't need round the clock care?
