Follow
Share

My mother is 84 years old and currently living at home. She has dementia and mental illness (bipolar and / or personality disorder). She has a caregiver who visits her a few hours 4 days a week. However, the caregiver is resigning because she can't handle my mother's behaviors (outbursts, mood swings, threats, and anger). She hasn't been physical, but the caregiver gets very uncomfortable and scared when my mother has her outbursts. We are looking at Memory Care facilities because we feel no inhome care service will be able to handle my mother. This is the second caregiver who quits (the poor thing lasted 2 years). We are in the process of activating the POA. How can we make the transition to a facility easier for everyone? She will not go without a fight.

This question has been closed for answers. Ask a New Question.
Try a geriatric psychiatrist they may be able to give her medicine to calm her down .
Helpful Answer (0)
Report

Is she currently on any meds for her BP disorder? If not, it doesn't look hopeful that she will take anything else so that she's calm enough to transition into a facility voluntarily.

If she isn't compliant, then the next time she makes threats call 911. Make sure you're there when they arrive. Have your PoA paperwork on hand. Let them know she is off her meds (or whatever gets them to take her to the ER, like she may have a UTI and you can't get her to the Urgent Care). She will most likely go into a hold or the psych unit of the hospital, where she may be able to stay for a while until you can work with the hospital discharge to transfer her directly into a facility. Whatever you do, do NOT allow them to discharge her back to her home. Tell them she's an unsafe discharge and there's no one there to care for her and she's non-compliant with her meds. Make sure no one else goes to get her (maybe take away her phone so that she can't call anyone... this is what my sneaky SFIL did and made such a headache for us).
Helpful Answer (1)
Report

You get the POA made effective by a Neurologist or a said a geriatric psychiatrist. Since psychiatrists are scarce in my area, then I would go with a Neurologist. She can be medicated for these outbursts. A MC is equipped to care for someone like your Mom if she is not medicated. They are one step up from an AL. Once ur POA is invoked, you go looking for a MC when you find one, place Mom. Get the doctor to give you a sedative to keep her calm. She has dementia and cannot be reasoned with or make decisions. Its all up to you to decide for her. Thats why there is a POA assigned. Mom can no longer make decisions for herself.
Helpful Answer (0)
Report

You have the POA and the necessary documentation?
The MC is used to adjustment problems. But they may require assessment and medication.
If you have the right given Mom's diagnosis as having dementia severe enough to make her incompetent, then this is just "done". It is just explained that this is how it must be, will be, and that you will be there for her to adjust.

She will likely require transportation by ambulance. Do not expect that it will go without rage/tears or both.

You need to be honest about your mother's current diagnoses, and I hope that the MC facilities will be honest with you, because the underlying mental illnesses may preclude your mother being in care with others without medications.

I wish you the best. This is a journey that is full of unpredictability. Expect the unexpected and try to take it a day at a time. I am so sorry for all involved.
Helpful Answer (1)
Report

This question has been closed for answers. Ask a New Question.
Ask a Question
Subscribe to
Our Newsletter