memory care or skilled nursing

rv4jesus

My mom is 93 and has advanced Alzheimers. She has gone downhill steadily since my dad died 5 years ago, from walking 5 miles a day as precinct captain to not being able to get out of bed for the past week without a lot of encouragement and help from me. I have been taking care of her at her home for much of the past two years with some interruptions for hospital stays with broken bones from falls followed by admission to two long-term facilities. She has been in AL MC for a couple months and most recently at a skilled nursing facility. I thought both places did a pretty good job, however, at the SNF I felt things were not heading the right direction due to what I perceived as a lack of activity. At both she spent so much time seated or in a wheelchair. The first time in MC her legs swelled up, she got bedsores on her heels and she fell and broke her hip. After that they wouldn't take her back with the bedsores. At skilled nursing, the bedsores got better. I don't want her moving around too much, but I don't feel I am able to take care of her well in her home.

How would you recommend choosing a MC or SN facility?

M1

Welcome to the forum. If she still has bedsores, she probably needs a skilled nursing facility. Have you thought about a hospice evaluation? If shes not ambulatory she would likely qualify, and perhaps that would help clarify the situation. Good luck.

Jerome Likes Pie

Hi rv4jesus,

I have learned that while people with Alzheimer's have similar symptoms across each stage, each person also has specific characteristics to their own situation defining their behavior. My mom is 84 with moderate Alzheimer's, but she was just rejected by a MC facility; they would not take her. She isn't even in the advanced stages yet, but she is declining quickly. They recommended that she go to a skilled nursing facility that specializes in MC.

What I am trying to say is that the only person that has a detailed knowledge of her condition and her rate of decline is you. What do you forecast her situation to be in 6 months? At 93 with advanced Alzheimer's, I would tend to place her somewhere based on where her disease will be in 6-12 months, not on her current condition. Also, do you want to move her again after this? Many MC places (and also many SNF) will not be able to handle advanced Alzheimer's cases so I would look into a skilled nursing facility with a focus on MC expertise. I hope this helps. Pie