I was going to reply and say the same thing Mare did, so I am just going to
add my endorsement to her posting below.

Thanks, Mare!

Turns out that I have been hired to help care for her, so I will be giving
her the meds twice a day. . .

I wasn't sure if the message made it through and then I had some glitches in
the server locally. . .but we're back. :)

Thanks again for your answer,

Feather

I have called her family and her social worker.

I interviewed with her social worker yesterday and have been hired to work
for her. . .so, all will be well, though I am sure I will be coming in here
regularly looking for help! :)

Well, we are working on that. . .

Thank you Mary. I appreciate very much, this input.

Feather

Thanks Gwen, that's exactly what I did.

Feather

hi everyone

I cannot thank enough all the participants to this NG you are doing a great
job.
One question regarding  adult protective services.
My father is suffering from some form of dementia
and he seems to fit the stage 5 of AD better in some areas
and worse in others.
There is no way that I can force him to get evaluated,he keeps
his yearly doctor appointments(he just went to one last week)
to check his condition regarding diabetes and hypertension and
although the doctor was told orally and in witting of my observations
regarding dementia he refuses to acknowledge officially my father"s
condition.
The doctor did order him to get a blood and urine test but he is not going
this
could perhaps be an opening to put some pressure on doc ?
Doc told me that there was nothing he could do himself and that I have to
take him myself to the hospital which I emphasize is physically impossible.
My question is could the APS help in this case and how ?
my father cannot balance his checkbook anymore can hardly cook
leaves the gas on calls operator 5 times a day to find out what day it is
so on and so on with the symptoms we all know to well.
in short cannot be self sufficient for a period over 2 days.
TIA for any feedback my wife and I are at our wits end.
By the way tricks to take him ANYWHERE new do not work

    EILEEN

Thanks, Faye!

Yes, she did, and currently has two caregivers; myself and one other,
and is very closely monitored by the APS here, whom I report to
regularly when things don't seem to be going right.

Of course, as with all AD patients, this woman has good days and bad,
and sometimes a combination of the two, several times in a day. *whew*

I tend to wonder, as whenever they do visit, she *seems* normal to them.
Of course, it's when they leave that she's knocking on my door several
times a minute, seeking solace. . .the family and friends are working on
getting a live-in for her, to "keep her living free and independant as
long as possible" (their words). (An element of hopeful denial, I suppose).

Too true! I have finally gotten her enrolled in the local Alzheimer's
Day Program twice per week. Some days she's fine with it, other days
she's not, and I *have* to be there with her or she'll become combative
and/or leave in agitation.

Thanks for your input; and sorry for taking so long to respond.

Feather

Dennis, maybe you don't believe in prayer, but many of us do.  You really
have a nerve telling that person not to post to the prayer group again,
IMHO.  I agree with most of your posts, but not that.
Gwen

OOPS sorry, and I did call APS.

Nope, they are in the County section. :)

OK, thank you

Feather

Thanks to everyone who has responded so far.

Here we are, almost one month later.

Our friend has been taken on a trip by her family to the bay area of San
Francisco for a little R&R and tomorrow we have a caregiver/family meeting.
On Saturday, they are having a special luncheon for all her friends, so that
we can coordinate efforts at getting her friends, on a rotating basis, to
come and spend time with her - one friend takes one day, another, another
day, and so on. This will help keep her living as independantly as possible,
without putting her in a nursing home. (The nursing home options are rather
limited in our area, especially for AD wanderers like she is).

I have been hired to take her for six hours, twice a week, to the local
daycare program. She has enjoyed it immensely; as long as I am with her. I
will also be in charge of her medications, twice a day, seven days a week -
morning and evening - as the other caregiver involved has had to quit due to
time constraints.

Our friend is an "easy" person to care for. While there have been several
instances of agitation on her part, it's been very easy for me to calm her
down. Something between us as friends just sort of "clicked" and she really
enjoys being around me.

One day we were out walking along a two-mile stretch of old logging road -
when I decided to try some word associations with her, to see what she would
do.

I said, "What do you think of when you hear the word 'cat.'" And she said,
"Cat. MIOW." *LOL*

I said, "What do you think of when you hear the word 'dog.'" And she said,
"Dog."

THEN I said, "What do you think of when you hear to word 'bird,' " and she
responded by grabbing my arm and saying, "Ohhhh, that's all about YOU." (I
am sort of known as "bird lady" around here and how she knew that, I have no
idea, unless she used to read my articles when I worked for a friend of hers
as an editorial and production assistant and regular columnist for a local
paper - and she may have remembered that in some vague place in her memory?)

She and I, it turns out, know a lot of the same people, but we had never
met. One of the ladies that we mutually know, she absolutely *adores* and
loves spending time with her when she has some time.

I am learning a lot about this insidious disease, and am very grateful for
the support of the local Alzheimer's Day Care Program and their lending
library. The internet has a lot of very useful information, but it's easier
to lie back at night in bed and read. . .I've read Lenore Powell's book and
am currently working on one by Shent, called "The Forgetting." It's been a
rather enlightening experience.

Eleanor Cooney, a local resident here, wrote a book called "Death In Slow
Motion," about her mother's descent into Alzheimer's, and one can feel the
absolute sense of helpless anger she went through. Every time I see her in
the store, I want to grab her arm, pull her aside, and say, "Elly, thanks
for writing that book with such honesty. . ." but someone else usually grabs
my attention before I can stop to talk to her. I guess I will have to e-mail
her. . .

At any rate, everyone, God bless you all, and thanks again for your
interest. This is the last cross-post on this subject into the prayer
group - I am sorry if I offended anyone in so posting last month.

Feather