Dad who is 90 has dementia and refuses to go to the doctor and day care he just wants stay in his bed and room most of the day. The doctor visit is usually once every 2 months and day care is 3 days a week. It is to the point literally where I have to get someone to physically to lift him out of his bed even though he is able to walk. Needless to say this is creating a lot of stress. He has never been on anxiety medicine and the doctor gave me some lorazepam but this does not have any affect on him. I just need something which will calm him down so I get take him out to the doctor and other places he needs to go to. I also wanted to ask how long anxiety medicine is effective; can you give it at night and it will still be effective the next morning as most of his activities that I would like to take him to are before noon. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Could it be the medications are making him too tired to get out of bed?
How lucid is he? What if you told him that insurance was requiring tests at the doctor office and you have to take him. It's the company who is requiring it. Sometimes that makes it more about complying with the rules than him being sick. It worked with my LO.
Try cutting the lorazepam but consult your dad's Dr. first before you change any medication. See if a lower dosage makes a difference in the morning.
You should not have to be physically lifting your dad out of bed in the morning. If he is that listless and lethargic he needs to be seen by a Dr. and if you can't physically get him out of bed call 911.
And if it is determined that this is the latest phase in his dementia you will probably have to begin considering other arrangements for your dad. You can lift him and place him in a chair or pick him up from a chair and place him in bed. You can't carry him around all day.
I think as pam says i might ask for a visiting nurse to come and check on her as she wont move. But money is tight here in the health service and i dont think they will send a nurse unless shes dying? yep thats how bad it is here!
Good luck with this id love to know how you get around this one!