My mother is 90 and takes walks in 100+ heat. Yesterday it was 106 in AZ.
This has happened prior.
She calls us afterward saying she is sick.
She refuses to drink.
I contacted the assisted living and was told “it’s her right”
This is a Patient who is so forgetful. Refuses to use her walker, has fallen and spent a month in hospital and rehab.
I thought they are there to take care?!
I understand if she doesn’t want to eat a salad but she could get heat stroke!
Hugs 🤗
I would also be calling APS about them not redirecting her to a morning walk or cruising around the facility halls. Yes she has a right but come on, this is endangering her very life. I know that it is hard to know what to expect from AL in AZ they will tell you anything to get you in, but this is criminal.
In Assisted Living if she walked out of the building and down the road on her way to lunch or the store they could not stop her.
In Memory Care the units are locked so the residents can not leave. There may be an outdoor area that is fenced so she can still go for a walk but there is typically staff to monitor the situation.
There are a host of other things that assisted living can or cannot do and also memory care has a host of things that can be done to protect the loved one. I would advise that you talk to the facility or the county/state ombudsman. They can help you understand the resident rights for assisted living. I work in an assisted living/memory care facility in Florida. I work in activities and how I've kept residents inside with all the heat is I've said it's too hot for me to be outside. And I've been lucky because they all say "ok", and they follow me back inside to do the activity. They can identify with me because I am 72 yrs old. LOL. And another thought is that the facility has a/c and usually it is very cold in the common living areas. And probably 90% of the residents are on blood thinner medication. That makes them very cold and they go outside to get warmed up. They can control the temps in their own apartments, but the common areas have to be comfortable for the staff. I've listened to many complaints about this problem. When we play bingo I turn up the temp so they are comfortable. I sweat like crazy, but I try to help them be comfortable, because after all, it is about them, and not about me.
I don't know if I've explained this to you well enough, but I strongly urge you to talk to the facility where your loved one is living or an ombudsman in your county.
I understand your concerns over your mother walking in 100 degree heat. I have also tried to get my mother to work in the yard during cooler parts of the day. That said, there's another way to look at your mother's mortality risks during a walk. My personal ideal death is one I witnessed as a young adult. My 93 year old neighbor lived in a house about 50 ft higher than his barn. When a snow storm began moving in he walked down his driveway to the barn, let his horses in, fed and watered them, then started back up the driveway hill carrying four 2x4x8' he planned to use with some plastic to protect the back porch from the expected snow. About 2/3 the way up the drive he went to his knees, dropped the lumbar, and sat down. His 89 year old wife watching from the kitchen windows saw him sit down, called the local EMTs and a neighbor, grabbed a quilt off the bed and went down to her husband who was still conscious when she got to him. EMTs found the couple lying together wrapped in the quilt, the husband dead from a heart attack. Mr. S died suddenly and until the day he died was able to live the life he chose in his home with his wife of 72 years. You may think he shouldn't have had horses at his age or tried to carry lumbar up a hill in 20 degree windy weather just after exerting himself in the barn. You could be right. But would he have been as happy to live another 4-5 years where he weaken and had to give up his horses and perhaps become bedridden in the home he built and loved?
The fact your mother is getting out for a walk says she is still functioning with a level of independence. Will restricting her quality of life in order to increase the potential quantity of life really serve her best interests?
long story short - your mom is NOT suitable for AL.
She needs to get an needs assessment to determine what exact level of care is best for her. Needs assessments ime are done by a duo of RN and SW 1-on-1 with her solo first and then a chart review from the facility for her, then maybe a discussion with family. The AL should have info on companies who do need assessments. If it shows she’s needs SNF or MC, it is what it is. I’d suggest that you try to get her moved or on a waiting list of MC/NH ASAP. And then she moves into the facility again ASAP.
We in the South & SW US are right now in the out lying surf & undertow of Covid-19 Wave 1.0. She needs to be ensconced into her new place before Covid-19 Wave 2.0 hits in Oct or Nov. Otherwise think what room she going to live into in your home and where to store that rooms contents.
Please please realize that as she’s only in AL, the AL can fully discharge her from the place like manana or by a 30 day notice with no repercussions. It’s AL so in theory she’s good on the ADLs with perhaps a bit of help in putting on clothing or doing a back zipper or transitioning in & out of the tub. It’s not a SNF - which if Medicare is involved in her care - has pretty tight standards for “safety net” exit from a NH with comparable / lateral discharge required.
Please please make doing this your priority for July.
and yes, I do realize that MC or SNF/NH is oodle$ more monthly in costs than an AL. You cannot use costs are the determining factor for where she goes as the facility will ‘86 her in short order if she’s not able on her own of meeting the standards of ability for AL or MC.
My mom, at 88, moved to Independent Living (mostly due to anxiety, depression and Mild Cognitive Impairment).
It was a great fit for her with ONE exception; she wouldn't use the Air Conditioning and went out walking on hot days. Her doctor and I explained endlessly to her that hot temperatures were very bad for her heart and her blood pressure and that not exercising caution was going to result in a poor outcome.
She had a stroke on July 1, right after she turned 90. The AC in her apartment was turned off because it was a "lovely day" heading up into the 100s in Southern Westchester NY. I am fairly certain that the temperatures that she was subjecting herself to had a part in this debilitating stroke.