A few nights ago, I dreamed I was cleaning things out of my house after my mother died. She used to live in this house, but some of her old clothes and books are here. She is getting hospice care in a nursing home, so we know the end is near. So I doubt this is a prophetic dream. I didn't feel really sad; it was just a job that had to be done. I was walking through the house and discovered a stairway--"hidden in plain sight"--that I had never seen after many years of living in the house. I went upstairs and discovered two storeys of furnished rooms, quite nicely as a matter of fact. I saw a large, airy bedroom directly over the one where I currently sleep and decided I liked it better and would sleep there from then on. When I woke up, I was strangely happy, but disappointed I didn't have the larger house. Because of my feelings upon waking up, I can't help but think this is a most positive dream, but what all does it mean?
A "house" in dreams can stand for the psyche... Be it yours (Probably) or your Mom's I can't say. House dreams many times will show hidden rooms or a vast ever changing situation (Things are different when you turn around and re-trace your steps) and that shows untapped portions of the psyche. Specifically you may have seen a connection between you and your Mom... or things may change for you when your Mom passes.
Caring for a loved one who is actively dying can be very stressful. I remember when Mom was in the process that I was totally focused on her comfort and much of my life was on hold. Sometimes I felt that I could not breathe. When she died I felt a relief that she was finally free of a body that had let her down. Perhaps you are seeing a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. (large airy bedroom) I would see this dream as positive as well. After Mom died I had two dreams of her that were very positive. Knowing she was OK gave me permission to be OK as well.
My mother is in a nursing home with dementia, quite possibly Alzheimers. I'm not equipped to give her the care a person in that condition deserves. The doctor there has determined she has less than six months. She sleeps most of the time; she has trouble swallowing. I don't deny that I have a bond with my mother. My father died of a heart attack just over three years ago, not so long after cancer surgery. He said that if he died before my mother, it would be my greatest nightmare...for economic reasons. I asked what I should do if that happened, and he said there was nothing I could do. Is it hard to imagine that I would deal with complicated grief when he died? I had some dreams of my father after he died, and I began journaling those dreams. Most of my family is back home in Canada, and I've told them what's up and that I probably won't come to visit this summer. In that sense, I'm putting at least part of my life on hold. Perhaps my mother and I will find some release when she dies. As it stands now, I tense up a bit when I walk in the house and see the caller ID light flashing. If I see the nursing home's number, I brace myself. One of my friends told me she believes this is a threshold dream; she thinks it has to do with untapped possibilities, parts of myself I was unaware of before.
This is the "house = psyche" concept. New rooms can mean levels of self that you are not aware of. The way you describe the dream and relation to your Mother I would expect change in you after she passes. Our Mother had dementia... It's pretty difficult to deal with. Good luck to you.
My mother also had Alzheimer's. It is such a long slow good bye. I grieved the whole time she was in the nursing home. Watching her life get smaller and smaller was very difficult. I think this is why I felt relief when she passed. Below is a video that I wish I had seen when Mom was in her last year. I never knew what was coming. This might have helped. The video is a half hour but definitely worth watching. Be well and remember to take care of yourself. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPx-qpos57g&feature=youtu.be
