My mother's dementia has recently increased to a new level and she is no longer able to live at home. She is currently temporarily in an assisted living facility, but refuses to comply with anyone or anything, and every single task seems to be a gargantuan struggle. My father has been her primary caregiver and she has always been resistant to allowing anyone else to care for her. Now she's at a point where she refuses. When dad comes to see her each day, she immediately starts packing her things and insisting that he take her home. She apparently does this non-stop (I'm geographically removed from the situation so haven't seen it in person yet) throughout the day. All of this is causing problems because she refuses to participate in therapy, and she will not be allowed to remain in the facility if she is not making any progress. And this behavior also wears on the staff. This is not a memory care facility, and I don't know that we'll be able to afford a facility like that in the future.
For one thing, is this possibly a "phase" that she will go through for only a certain period but will eventually be alleviated? And is there a medication or some other way to get her to comply so that she can be cared for properly and her life will be improved? Mom's still a smart cookie, she's always been a loving mother, but she's having a real tough time right now. We really want to help her.
This is pretty new to our family so we are looking for answers and expertise. Thank you so much in advance.
In terms of medication, can you get her seen (ASAP) by a geriatric psychiatrist? Antidepressants sometimes help this sort of behavior.
I believe she has been seen by a psychiatrist and we're waiting for a report.
I think it's mostly physical therapy but maybe some cognitive stuff too. She's actually quite capable of doing the therapy and would benefit from it, and it would allow her to improve and get better care. Her refusal to participate is just making everything much more difficult.
Financially, they are not in desperate straights by any means, but my understanding is that memory care facilities are very expensive and beyond what they would be able to handle.