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Mom Might Get Evicted from Memory Care

CowboyATX
CowboyATX Member Posts: 1 Member

This may sound harsh, but it's our reality right now. We moved our 84-y.o. mother with dementia into a lovely memory care facility last week. The dementia symptoms advanced quickly - she was driving and socializing mid-February, and a month later she's getting lost in her own neighborhood, forgetting where she is, and falling often. 24-hour home care wasn't enough to keep her safe because of her constant falling. Mom is a classic narcissist who has played the victim her entire life. Basically, she's not happy unless she's miserable. She's rude and demanding. "Please" and "thank you" are not in her vocabulary. In addition to her dementia, she needs assistance with all ADLs. She's 85 pounds and a continues to be a severe fall risk. Because of the fast decline, we didn't know how the dementia would affect her personality, but it seems to have amplified the negativeness and rudeness. And she has become extremely combative. These traits did not truly show up until she was placed in the facility. It's not all the time, but when she has an episode, she hits, kicks, throws things, and screams ugly things at the caregivers. We know this because we have a camera in her room. We know she's being disruptive in this small community of residents and we're afraid they are biding their time before they ask her to leave. She's already been removed from having breakfast with the other residents. My sister and I stopped by yesterday to drop off some things and feel like we received an extremely cool reception from the staff, who up to this point have been warm and helpful. We also feel excluded from any discussions regarding her care, including ideas about managing her behavior. Question #1: how do we approach the staff about this? We feel like we're walking on eggshells around them. Question #2: What do we do if she is asked to leave? Are there facilities that can manage combative behavior? We're in Austin, TX

Comments

  • pamu
    pamu Member Posts: 137
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    edited April 15

    Request a care meeting with the nursing team/administrators as soon as possible to discuss interventions and/or medications to help. It's still very early on in her placement and adjustments can take a long time. Sending you well wishes.

  • harshedbuzz
    harshedbuzz Member Posts: 6,940
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    @CowboyATX

    it could be a sign of

    Hi and welcome. I am sorry for your reason to be here but pleased you found this place.

    A care plan with the DON sounds like a plan. If the behavior violent behavior is truly new-to-her, it might make sense for them to test for a UTI which can result in both personality changes and a dramatic increase in symptoms.

    You could also ask about medication to dial back her emotions. If they have a geriatric doc affiliated perhaps they could prescribe something. Otherwise, it might be quickest to have her go to a geriatric psych unit for medication management. After that, she may be able to rejoin her community. If not, the social worker can help you find a place with the training and skills to manage more challenging residents.

    Good luck. This is hard stuff.
    HB

  • H1235
    H1235 Member Posts: 2,342
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    Welcome. I would ask for a meeting. I do think some places try to avoid having difficult residents and tend to cater to the befuddled and confused with no behavior issues. Hopefully that’s not the case. I agree with others that medication is probably necessary. It can take a while to find the right medication and the dose is usually started low and increased very gradually. If she is already on something an increase in the dose should be considered. The right medication will not turn her to a zombie. I’m kind of surprised they haven’t reached out to you about this. It’s not uncommon for people with dementia to become grumpy, demanding, and just difficult. Obviously this makes it hard on everyone, but it must also be hard on her to be so angry. That’s the way I try to look at it with my mom. Medication has helped her a lot. I hope you find a solution.

  • Quilting brings calm
    Quilting brings calm Member Posts: 3,274
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    edited April 15

    when our journey with dementia first began, my mom declined rapidly over a few weeks. We honestly thought ( and were told by medical professionals) that she needed to go straight to a nursing home. Bypassing AL and MC. She was so confused, extremely agitated, wouldn’t shower, slept 15 minutes at a time, Refused her medications - thought she was being poisoned, was almost unable to walk, and wandered to a strangers apartment. We told her doctors to check for UTI and they kept saying she didn’t have one. We emergency moved her back to our home state - took her to our local ER without even arriving home. She was diagnosed with urosepsis. After a week in the hospital and a month in rehab, she recovered well enough to go to an AL. Yes she did have dementia, but no where near as severe as her original symptoms So please ask the doctor to give her antibiotics even if a urine culture comes up negative.
    While doing that, ask that an antipsychotic medication also be prescribed to her.

  • Merla
    Merla Member Posts: 221
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    I would request a care meeting immediately. Inquire about what their plan is for escalating aggressive behavior. I would also test for a uti because this can cause severe agitation. Memory cares do send residents in ambulance to geripsych hospital units without the consent of the POA. Your mom may need her medication adjusted.

    My moms memory care would have sent your mom to the geripsych unit already based on your description of her behavior.

Commonly Used Abbreviations


DH = Dear Husband
DW= Dear Wife, Darling Wife
LO = Loved One
ES = Early Stage
EO = Early Onset
FTD = Frontotemporal Dementia
VD = Vascular Dementia
MC = Memory Care
AL = Assisted Living
POA = Power of Attorney
Read more