How to Navigate to get the right Care for my mom

ARH

Hello to all! Just found this site and wanted to see if anyone can share, based on their experiences how to navigate all the information and get help for my mom. My mom was diagnosed with moderate dementia but is very strong and refusing help. She lives alone still and that is part of the struggle. The few caregivers that we have managed to get in to help for a few hours a day, she does not allow them to do anything.... not sure also on what doctors she should be seeing or even social worker could assist with resources available. 

Thanking you all in advance if you have any guidance. 

jfkoc

Hi ARH...

I fear you will need to do most if not all of the leg work yourself.

The first question would be do you want to have your mother stay where she is or do you see placement in the near future.

If placement is a possibility then start looking wound at what is near you. Some facilities are Memory Care (MC) only but some place independent through MC.

You can weed out a lot of options through a phone call and simply asking about initial and ongoing training of staff...fulltime as well as part time.

See how familiar they are with Naomi Feil, Teepa Snow and Allen Power.

Do not accept a training program that you can not look up on your computer. 

The next step would be to tour a facility with an appointment as well as a drop in visit. Also ask around for referrals.

Regarding Drs...you mother should be diagnosed following proper protocol (info online). Many start with their PCP for lab work etc but you want tp involve a neurologist who routinely sees persons with dementia.

This site will help you with the best information and great support as you navigate. We understand and we care!

towhee

Usually a PCP and a neurologist, sometimes a geriatrician or geriatric psychiatrist. You could try contacting your local social services office or your local area agency on aging, or the Alzheimers association. You already have caregivers coming in, so I am assuming what you really want is information on how to get your mother to accept help, or possibly information that will let you know more about her situation and what kind of help she needs. Getting people to accept help is hard. Sometimes you have to wait until they are so ill they end up in the hospital. Sometimes, if you learn about dementia, you can come up with some fiblets that will work with your LO. If you give a little more information about your situation, members might have suggestions.

ARH

Thank you so much for your insight!

May flowers

We recently chose a facility that does AL to MC - they promote “aging in place” and have services all the way from independent living  to MC to having hospice come to the facility. 

We are starting with MC, but if I were looking for IL or AL, I would choose a place just like this, because the familiarity of the environment and people seems like it would make the transition a little easier. Also, if an AL place has MC, I would look into what the MC offers and how they are trained in handling dementia and has specialized staff and programs geared towards dementia patients.