Hospital stay for medication adjustment?

Richard67

Hello, all. My DW has been in skilled nursing care for several months. She has later-stage Alzheimers but also physical limitations — needs help with eating, toileting, walking on 24/7 basis. She became more agitated and combative in recent weeks so SNC staff said she needed to go to hospital psych unit for medication evaluation and adjustment, at least a week. At hospital (Glen Oaks, near Chicago) she will see doctor every day who will adjust meds better than SNC, supposedly. This sounds good on paper, but DW is very upset and agitated to be in unfamiliar place. Visitation is only 2 hrs a week. Phone calls are unhelpful because DW is not conversational. We are worried this is too much a strain on her. Have others had this experience?

Russinator

I have and it made all the difference in the world. Last December my DW, after a ten day stay in the Orange County Global Hospital went from threatening kill me, trying to tear our car apart while I was driving 70 MPH on the freeway, jumping out of the car as I was stopped at red light, running up and down the street yelling "help me, he's trying to kill me", running in the street with heavy traffic to get away from me. Running down a residential street banging on doors and yelling "help me, he's trying to kill me". Ten days later I took her home and she's been wonderful - still fighting dementia.

BPS

I have not had that experience but my wife is in MC and was having delusions that one of the other residents was trying to kill her and her hospice nurse was able to get her medication that helped that. I think it depends on the severity, if your wife's condition is as severe as Russinators you probably have no choice.

White Crane

my husband has been in memory care for two years. During that time he has been in geropsych. units for medication evaluation. It has been a tremendous help.