Ok - Need advice and suggestions multiple languages

Bean1217

I’ve become my mom’s full time care taker a few months ago. I sold my house, remodeled their basement and moved in to stay with her. My mom was my best friend we had fun together and did mostly everything together. She is 78 and we’ve been fighting this crappy disease for 4 years; unfortunately she is getting worse. English isn’t her first language; it’s Romanian. Lately that’s all she speaks. We’ve been to doctor appointments and she starts to speak Romanian; my family speaks Romanian, remind her the doctors don’t speak Romanian she then speaks Hungarian, after a nudge she speaks English. When we are home I do not mind the Romanian; my fear is that when we go out and we somehow get separated that she will not be able to communicate. She’s become a ninja a time or two and has disappeared in a store - literally putting something in a grocery cart. I was thinking of doing a bracelet with my contact information. Someone mentioned GPS on her. Anyone else have suggestions or thoughts - or have gone through something similar?

SDianeL

local law enforcement may have tracking devices for Alzheimer’s patients. I would also think about a medical bracelet that is engraved with what language she speaks. Sounds like she needs a translator for doctor appointments. Soon she may forget English altogether.

harshedbuzz

@Bean1217

I have a friend who had a similar language situation with her mom who came to this country from Germany as a young woman. She lost English for the most part in stage 6. Oma was an escape artist, too.

In your shoes, I would do 4 things.

Make her home secure in terms of escape. Like you, my friend was on a different floor, so she installed motion detection mats to alert her when mom was on the move. She alarmed all doors to the outside and installed an additional slide lock high on the door. PWD tend not to look up for some reason. Another visual glitch many have is interpreting a dark mat as a hole which can be used to limit movement in and out of a space.

Contact local first responders and report her to LE as a potential elopement risk. Some departments have tracking programs they can offer residents while others might create a file with a description and photograph. If Smart911 is available, I would also sign up for that as well.

A GPS tracking device is also an option. These aren't error-proof as the can be left behind, it's not always exactly spot-on (my mom's phone has tracked her as much as a couple hundred yards from her actual location and sometimes offers only a large circle) and real-time reporting can be slow. IME, Apple is quicker in this regard than Tiles.

Medical ID bracelets for both of you. Hers has contact information for you, dementia diagnosis and identifies her as a non-English speaking individual. Yours identifies you as a dementia-caregiver and address so mom can be looked after should you have a medical event during which you can't speak. I like RoadID.

ROAD iD - World Leaders in Runner ID, Cycling ID & Medical ID

Smart911

HB