New here - a few questions

ShellyD

Hello All!

I am new to the forum.  I have been caring for my parents (one advanced ALZ, one beginning ALZ) for 7 months.  Here a few issues that I would love feedback on:

1.  My Dad (advanced) tends to insist that things are wet when they are dry.  I have looked in my reference books and assume this is a sensory issue.  In the middle of the night he will insist his shirt is wet but it's not.   Has anyone experienced this and did you have any good diversion tactics or thing to say to redirect?

2.  Addition to our house:  my parents came to us in an emergency situation (my dad fell walking around neighborhood with no supervision- we had to get them our of their condo which my Mom had been fighting) - I have no first floor shower but they are in a first floor bedroom.  The family agreed to my parents financing an addition after a 3 month trial of me keeping them.  Plans have been drawn up to give my parents a larger bedroom to accommodate a hospital bed, an accessible bathroom, closet and a small private sitting room from rest of the house.  Now they have changed their mind due to cost and Dad's decline even though Mom will follow same path of the disease and remain with us.  As you would know, no caregiver needs excess extended family stress (we are 5 siblings - one sister lives close by and helps me weekly) A few questions - 

- has anyone done an addition to their home to accommodate those you care for while they were already in your home?

- one objection is my dad will not handle the noise of the construction work (it would not interrupt their current bedroom/bathroom - which is just a 1/2 bath - (currently I take my Dad upstairs 2/week for a shower which is time limited as he becomes less mobile).

If you have had any experience with this or have advice, I'd be happy to hear.

Thank you!

Shelly

loveskitties

Doing renovations with a dementia patient present is tricky.  They can become hostile to the workmen, they can become over agitated by the noises, etc.  

Have you considered putting in a chair lift on the stairs instead?  Depending on the stairs it is pretty easy installation and would certainly make it easier on him and you.  Might be worth getting professional in to assess possibility and cost.

If you need to do the addition for additional reasons like more room for patient assist furniture, you will probably find that the addition will take longer than expected or promised due to building supply issues.

Ed1937

Shelly, welcome to the forum. Sorry you have a use for it. Would it be possible for a sibling to take their parents during construction? If they're close to you, maybe you could help with caregiving during that time. If you decide to do an addition, check around to see if there is a way to get help paying for it, even if the total cost is not covered. You will have to do your homework, but there are a lot of different kinds of help available. Check in with state programs, federal programs, and even local programs. You might be surprised at what you can find. It might be cheaper to help someone with improvements than to have to pay costs for a facility if using Medicaid. Best of luck to you.