What am to do?

Question: How does one keep from making promises or assurances one does not know if one can keep?

Need a little more context? I was visiting with a person in a nursing home who sounded dejected. It seemed that this person's child had decided that she could no longer live by herself and placed her in this home. She was, reasonably, having trouble adjusting from an independent life to life in a nursing home.

My gut instinct was to reassure her that her child had her best interests in mind. I wanted to tell her that her child loved her deeply and that having considered all the options, determined this was the best one.

Trouble is, I don't know the child. I refused to promise her that I knew this had been done out of love and concern.

Well, wonder of wonders, not only did I hear from the child about my lack of support, but I was chastised for not supporting the decision. I was told that the traditional practice of active listening did not work with this kind of situation. In other words, I was asked not to talk with her anymore if I couldn't say things supporting the decision to place her there.

There are far too many people abandoned to nursing facilities because families don't want to deal with them for me to assume that wasn't the case here. I did not have enough information to offer any support one way or another.

I would be happy to receive your input.