My father has vascular dementia and has recently declined. He spends a lot of time sleeping, is starting to have trouble with swallowing and is not really able to engage in conversation. He has lived in assisted living for 2 1/2 years. My family was just notified that they can no longer safely transfer him. He requires a hoyer lift that the facility does not allow. Has anyone been faced with this and contemplated moving their loved one to another state? I live in Boston and my father lives in Philadelphia, where he has limited support. I am fearful such a big move would cause him to decline even further. Thanks in advance.
Your father may not adjust as easily, but he will benefit from having a better support system by living closer to you. Kudos to you for watching out for your father and best wishes during this hard time.
Keep him in Philadelphia in NH where you need to travel a long distance to visit or move him to a NH in Boston where you will better be able to visit and oversee his care.
Since you are going to need to move him anyway, it seems like getting him closer to you is the overriding imperative.
Can he pay for Medical transport? Is he on Medicaid? Getting that started in a different state can be a daunting process.
I would also put him in a continuing care community so that he never has to move again. Make sure that the facility accepts Medicaid if that is somewhere in the future.
Hugs, this is such a difficult journey.