Update on my violent Alz Dad
I would love to have something positive to post, but instead all I can update with is this:
Since my last posting, we again placed my dad, by recommendation of the behavioral hospital dr. treating him, in an assisted living w/Alz unit. On the 2nd night there, they called 911 & had him tranported to the ER because of "perilously low blood pressure". The next night, he stripped down in his room and went on a rampage, destroying a lamp, his air conditioning unit, tossing furniture. Again, they called 911 to transport him to the ER, where we gathered & waited again for 16 hrs before they could find a bed for him at the same behavioral center for the 3rd admission!
So our entire family had a conference w/Dad's dr. at the behavioral center and were assured he didn't want Dad moved any more than necessary because of the trauma it inflicts each & every time (on him AND us!) That was a week ago. Unknown to us, he called my mother, who is elderly, exhausted & on Valium (but who has my dad's POA!) and told her that he had done all he could w/Dad's meds and that he should be placed again ASAP!! She was SUPPOSED to tell him, "I don't feel that Joe is ready for placement yet, he still has too many issues and I do NOT want him moved!" Without discussing w/us, my mother called another nearby assisted living w/Alz home, found they had an opening and signed Dad up for placement w/ another non-refundable deposit! And I know as well as I am sitting here typing this that after they move him in next Tues, it will be approx. 3 or 4 days and he will pitch another fit and be dumped back in the ER/behavioral system!
I am CONVINCED that once my dad is placed in the behavioral center, Medicare has to treat this as a hospital and pay everything; so they push for the behavioral center to hurry up & declare the patient "better" so he/she can be placed in a private pay home and they don't have to pay any more! My dad is never really "ready", plus he deteriorates rapidly after being placed in the less-than-suitable asst.living home, and then we start the merry-go-round all over again.
This 3rd home my mom has chosen ISN'T EVEN GOING TO SEND SOMEONE TO EVALUATE MY DAD BEFORE THEY ADMIT HIM! Most of the reputable homes I have called personally tell me the same thing: that they are not interested in Dad because he is a "wanderer" or is "too ambulatory" with a history of violence. God help us all, isn't there SOME place for him??
Subscribe to the Alzheimer's Daily News at http://alznews.org - they have amazingly uplifting articles and advice.
Find a geriatric specialist to assess your dad and the medications he's on - frequently behavioural issues are caused by interactions or bad meds (avoid Risperidone if possible - it is a "warehousing drug" used by many nursing homes to turn their patients into drooling masses of nothingness). Check the Mayo Clinic website http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/drug-information/DrugHerbIndex and http://www.pdrhealth.com/home/home.aspx for drug info.
Minimize change if at all humanly possible as it is one of the greatest enemies of a dementia patient. Best wishes and God Bless!
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