Tomorrow we are moving my 100 yr old mother to assisted living. She has spent the last two days with my sister while we move her things. She has gone off the deep end, since being removed from her "safe place". She is nasty, hallucinated a little, thinking she was in her own house, totally impossible. Until now, in IL she has been so so, at least she controlled herself, odd, but doing most of the things she should. Her memory is really bad. The doctor and the IL said she has to move. Based on the way she has behaved the past two days, we're afraid she will be kicked out of AL the first month! She doesn't even know she is being moved. We're telling her tomorrow! Is there some sort of medication (beside a tranquilizer) that can be given to her to settle her down. She is always stressed, worried, negative and is now acting a little aggressive. We have known she needed some sort of med, but hasn't been on anything simply because she could not be trusted to take it. We don't want her in memory care yet as she is still capable of getting up, getting dressed, making her bed, doing makeup, making coffee, going to meals, getting her hair done, communicating, etc. There must be some drug out there that can mellow her out? Oh please, help. We are at our wits end.
Has your Mom been checked for a UTI which can cause sudden and drastic behavior changes. It seems that is the first thing they SHOULD check. If so, and she doesn't have a UTI, then talk to her doctor about something to calm her.
Clonozapam is Klonopin, which is an antianxiety drug ,short acting but effective. But it sounds as though your mom would benefit from a more systemic med like an antidepressant. Is there a geriatric psychiatrist at this new AL?
Mom was started on the low dose of klonopin by the geriatric psychiatrist at her IL. In rehab for her stroke, they started her on lexapro. Geri psych at the nh added the Remeron and it was the final piece of the puzzle.
The idea of inpatient behavioral setting would be ideal, as Capt says. Someplace where her meds could be monitored and adjusted.
As to moving her physically to the AL, I would hire an ambulette to take her. I'm not sure taking her by car is going to be safe. If you have to, make sure she's in the back seat with the child protection locks activated. Make sure she has no cane and that there's not something she can grab to whack the person driving with. I learned this the hard way,
You say "not a tranquilizer". Was that suggested and rejected by you? You recognize that your mother requires meds, but have you sought medical advice on this? What did the IL doc suggest?
The fact that she can no longer function in IL does not necessarily mean that AL is the right place. Did the AL assess her and agree it was the correct level of care? I'm curious why she wasn't transferred directly from one place to the other, without going "home". This must be brutally disorienting to her, not to mention the stress on you all as well.
I'm sorry that this is not going as smoothly as you had hoped. She can't control this. Call her doctor right away. If she becomes dangerous, you take her to the ER.