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Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Alzheimer's / February 2008Just looking for coping strategies
Hi again, I posted a couple months back about how to get my mom to undergo the geriatric center eval. The replies were very helpful (not so much in getting her to the eval, but in helping me to DEAL with her....). Anyway, there's been a lot that's happened since then. (Which was maybe September.) Around December, we got to the point where it was clear she could NOT take care of her own meds. We have a compantion coming for 3 hours per day to make sure she takes her meds and eats something. She HATES the lovely companion lady. As of today, we may be 'firing' the companion Monday, mostly due to her paranoia about how the person is not doing things in her best interest. So, you might see, my mom has become increasingly delusional. She has been being treated with the geriatric ctr. They gave her Zoloft for lots of depression, and are maybe going to give Aricept on2/29. IN all honesty, she has rapidly gotten more and more "off the wall". The last couple months, she seems to be more and more talking nonsense. The thing is... for years now, I have been worrying she's 'losing it,' but... she's been really mostly together and on the ball. I think now that just demonstrates, because she is so damn intelligent, ... how well she could cover up losing her mind. I can't even know if the Zoloft helped any. Her PCP encouraged me to cut back the dose of Zolort, to at least determine if that's what made her even more off the wall lately. (The geriatric ctr CRNP told me to do what I wanted, could be the Zoloft making her more confused, maybe could be we are catching her in the decline...) So anyway, she is back down to 25mg Zoloft per day, but is EVERY day very delusional.. But... on the other hand, talking totally rationally about other things... In the mean time. And why I am here. My sisters and I have been visiting all the personal care homes, assisted living places and SNFs.... The $ is a factor... big time.. I found a Catholic place near me, but fear they will not take her, maybe she is already too bad... they won't take anyone who wanders or stays up all night. She is definately up in the way early morning hours. I am so nervous and uptight about her being able to adjust to the group atmosphere in assisted living. IF they even accept her... I found a place that is reasonably priced that used to be for retired nuns. As a result, the population is half old demented nuns. With the general quiet atmosphere abd proximity to where I live, it feels semi RIGHT. Talk to me, How does an adult child figure out what the rifght answers are?? Thanks PattyC Not sure if this will help, but it sounds kindof like what I've been through. My mom could barely walk with a walker when we took over. As it turns out, getting her into a senior residence that provides 3 squares a day in an open seating, restaurant style dining room really helped. I think she was really malnourished eating at home on her own and was very chancy about meds. That and a sodium imbalance really was killing her. Too much dietary salt reduction combined with a lot of coffee is a dangerous combination. Now, after about 6 months there, she can walk unassisted (no cane or walker) and seems far less delusional and more aware of what's going on. At the worst, she had been diagnosed with alz and dementia, but now those diagnoses have been recently contradicted and replaced with just more or less "normal" senility due to small vessel arteriosclerosis. Still feels like she wants to go "home", which is out of the question, as home has been sold and she would deteriorate again. The proceeds are helping pay her way. She is gradually beginning to actually like her surroundings. On the meds, we got a dandy automatic pill dispenser that works very well. I only need to go over there every 2 weeks to load it up since she takes meds 2xs per day. Click on http://www.epill.com/medtime.html You have to be firm with these old folks. They don't like it, but they really have no choice. I just hope my kids do for me what I've done for mom, assuming I may need it some day, and that I won't fight too hard. good luck. Bill > Hi again, > [quoted text clipped - 58 lines] > > PattyC > In the mean time. And why I am here. My sisters and I have been > visiting all the personal care homes, assisted living places and > SNFs.... The $ is a factor... big time.. You don't have to worry about that, but you DO need to talk to an attorney experienced with elder law in your jurisdiction! You need to find the best place for her that will take Medicaid when her assets are all spent down, and move her. If she owns a home, you may have to sell it to pay for her care until the money is gone, but once her money is gone, Medicaid will pay. There may be ways to protect part of her assets, but you need to be careful and consult with an attorney regarding the Medicaid law & rules in your state before you dispose of any assets. > Hi again, > [quoted text clipped - 58 lines] > > PattyC Patty: When my own Mother began to suffer from dementia, probably brought on by mini-strokes, a social worker suggested a geriatric psychiatrist near where we live and though I was skeptical that he could help, it turned out he was an absolute God send. If I understood, you're dealing with a Nurse Practitioner who specializes in geriatric care? Anyway, my Mother's geriatric psychiatrist worked with us to get her medications correct, which is very important, and he was available even off hours via phone. The first medication doesn't always get it. We found out my Mother was horrible on Depakote, but much better on Zyprexe. Depakote would practically have her collapsing from exhaustion after a couple days on it. Zyprexe by itself was a big help. If you're able to find the correct medications, you might be able to get your Mother to a state where she could become a part of one of those homes you looked at. It's very hard and very stressful to deal with a parent who's suffering from dementia. Even more difficult when they're acting as your Mother appears to be - smart enough to evade detection for a long time. My Uncle did the same thing and made it very difficult for his children. I certainly wish you the best of luck with this - but really work with the specialist you're using for your Mother to try and get the correct combination of pharmaceuticals. It's shocking what a positive difference the correct combination can make. Charles R. Whealton Charles Whealton @ pleasedontspam.com |
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