perhaps its time to consider care, daycare, or longer? 1 person cannot
reasonably look after an Az sufferer 24x7

Hi,

In our case, the situation with falling down got worse and worse, and
finally we had to place my mother in law in a local nursing home.

My advice to you is to start looking for a good placement when you don't
even need it, or think you need it.  The time comes one day when you DO need
it, and when you are caring for someone who cannot walk without falling down
anymore, and you are exhausted from caregiving, it is going to be a lot
harder.   There is a lot of paperwork, and if you are in the USA there is
the Medicaid issue and that takes time and even more paperwork.

You have my deepest sympathies in dealing with this awful disease.   My
mother in law is gone for almost a year now, but the difficulties we
encountered are still very fresh in our minds.

issues  
Group: alt.support.alzheimers Date: Mon, Mar 13, 2006, 11:42pm From:
deadwoodflower@webtv.net (Barb Terry)
Has anyone had problems with the alz.person saying words that don't
exsist.Sometimes my mom asks for things in made up language that makes
no sense.Not another language ,just words that are not words ,if ya know
what i mean.

Ronny:
I know what you mean and my Mom has done that for awhile at times.

Barb:
      Also,i need some examples of what you all do when they
are really getting on your nerves.I hate to just walk away but sometimes
i just have to.And my moms getting where you need to be in the room with
her all the time or she will get up and then occasionally fall.Its
getting to be a 2 person job.Barb

Ronny:
Sometimes I take a book with me and just go to the bathroom and lock the
door. :-) Or I may go outside a bit,lock the door behind me and take a
short walk around our yard or pasture. I can do that on a number of days
when I've already seen that Mom is getting around well. So far, most
days she does;but then there are days when she's not getting around so
well at all. And before I take even a short walk,I had rather she be
asleep. Got it down pretty good as to when and how long she will be
sleeping.

Don't know how much anything I say on this through will help you,since
my Mom isn't yet to the stage where she needs someone with her nearly
all the time? And you know you can't really do that all the time or even
be expected to. Just not possible for one person.

Hi Barb - speaking nonsense syllables is pretty common. The language
problems will progress until she not only can't understand anything you
say to her, but can't make any kind of intelligable response, other
than the occasional random word. My MIL lost her speech about two years
before she died. It was sad after that point - you couldn't even get a
yes/no answer in response to a very simple question.

Have you considered getting a pair of hip guards for your mom? I just
bring this up, since a fall may mean a broken hip, and not only will
that mean the permanent end of mobility, but also the advent of
permanent incontinence, and possibly the start of the final spiral. A
very high percentage of the frail elderly die within a few months of a
hip fracture.

If your mom will get up with no one there and is in danger of a fall,
you might want to get a geri chair to keep her contained when she is
alone even for a few minutes (i.e. you leave the room for a minute to
put a load in the dryer, or check the oven).

My MIL lived two years in the final stage - totally unable to walk,
talk, use a bathroom, feed herself or do anything for herself. She was
totally helpless. She didn't know who we were and slept all the time.
Honestly, where she was physically was a moot point, since she was so
unaware of the surroundings or the people around her, she could have
been anywhere - home or institution, made no difference.

As other posters have observed, give yourself permission to think the
unthinkable - that she MAY need placement. You need to check out your
options and get her name on waiting lists, even if you want to believe
you'll never need a spot for her. You don't want to get in crisis and
be at the end of your rope and have to take whatever you can get out of
desperation. Do some homework now. Getting overwhelmed can sneak up on
you. One day you'll be hanging in, and the next something will be the
final straw.

Mary G.