So my Mother has Alzheimers. She is in the middle stages. She can still perform all activities of daily life. We recently (November 2017) put her into a very nice Assisted Living facility. Unfortunately, we are beginning to realize that this might not be a good fit. It seems the further along the Alzheimers progresses the more my Mom becomes a hypochondriac. She constantly thinks she is sick. She gets herself so worked up into a panic that she actually makes herself vomit. I thought that the Assisted living facility would help care for her... but they have kindly made it clear to us that they are not a nursing home. That they will keep her safe by checking on her every 2 hours... giving medication to her....assistance with showering, which she doesn't need. But they don't have the staff to handle her constant "health needs".
She has been though so much these past 3 months. I DREAD the thought of having to move her again. She is cognizant enough to HATE a nursing home. I just wish we could get her hypochondria under control.
Any advice would be extremely helpful. FYI- She is taking Zoloft but it doesn't seem to be helping.
After all, you don't want her epitaph to be "I told you I was ill!"
When I was looking for a place for him, many people told me he needs memory care because of the dementia, well, I looked into them and was aghast, every single person is strapped in a wheelchair, fall liability you know, they looked like the wheeled dead.
I know some people are so far gone as to need being behind locked doors and not allowed to ever walk on their own. My granny was gone like that, yet they did not lock her up and isolate her, she wheeled throughout the facility, and this was before all the alarms to notify staff someone has gone awol. The staff ratio in these places is higher as they will not let the seniors do anything for themselves, even if they can take care of bathing, dressing etc, they won't let them. If your mom is having a hard time adjusting to AL, this kind of place could potentially push her over a cliff.
Sounds like the place she is in forgot what business they are in, yikes, it's called Assisted living for a reason, they charge enough to have a doctor on staff for petes sake, maybe you can find a home that understands they are not just warehousing human bodies, these are actual human beings. I pray you find a place that will help your mom feel safe and loved so she can spend her final days without being so terrified that she vomits.
God Bless You and help you find that place. I pray that you take care of you during this difficult journey. 🤗
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