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My mom was admitted to a geriatric psychiatric unit after hitting and biting my dad and hitting a caregiver. She is reportedly fine during the day, but agitated at night and they view her as an elopement risk. (As an aside, she is most upset after dad's visits - which are in the evening - where she begs him not to leave..)


We believe the behavior prior to the psych unit was due in part to medication mismanagement and inadequate care situation at home, but we doubt that was conveyed to the SNFs.


What do we do now? It seems like home is also pretty precarious, as two caregivers quit prior to the incident and we need that team to care for dad. The whole situation is putting a strain on his physical and emotional health.


We are at a loss as to what to do...any advice would be appreciated.

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Just here to express sympathies. Good luck!
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She has to go dementia specific care. She will need a particular assessment for this. The social worker should help with this. Don’t take her home. She won’t settle until she leaves the unit
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Have you checked into Memory Care facilities that only handle dementia & Alzheimers, etc.? Being an elopement risk is irrelevant in Memory Care, as the building is locked & secured so the residents cannot leave, even if they tend to wander. MC facilities are best equipped to handle the various behavioral issues that go along with dementia, so that may be the best answer for your mom.

There are medications for Sundowner's which causes agitation in the evenings, so perhaps she would be a good candidate for such an Rx. There are also a lot of tips and tricks to use for people who suffer from Sundowners, and I will provide you a link at the end of this comment.

Also, if your dad's visits seem to trigger her agitated behavior, I'd have him stay away for a while until her symptoms are better managed, you know?

https://www.seniorliving.org/health/sundown-syndrome/

Best of luck!
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