Dr's reluctant to prescribe medications, he has seen several doctors, but he's scared to death of darkness and sees things crawling around in shadows.
Taking:
Namzaric 14/10 mornings
Lyrica 25mg at night
Xeralto for blood clots
Melatonin at night
Incontinence, Balance issues (wheelchair), Gps locator watch, Bi-pap machine if sleeping, Nanny cam, adult daycare with lots of activities, semi keto diet, coffee mornings only.
Help!
Oh HECK!
Would you consider a temporary placement in a specialist unit? If nothing else is working then he must need constant reassurance, and it is simply not possible for you to stay awake with him indefinitely - it'll kill you.
I would also ask for a review of all medications, giving thought to a complete reset: stop everything, reintroduce with constant monitoring.
Is any one of those doctors weighing in your health as a key factor in his care plan? It is important that somebody does: what happens to him if you break down?
I know it is exhausting. In an attempt to get a nights sleep, this is what I do. Remember consistency is best. Familiar routine is always encouraged, although he does not remember one day to the next, Dad responds well to familiarities.
1. I give him 10 mg melatonin at night, suggested by his primary care doctor.
2. I play Kenny G Christmas music on his cd player, same cd, every night, year round.
3. I lay down with him on restless nights, and reassure him he was a good father, he is loved and he will be helping me if we can sleep now so in the morning we will be ready to go. Maybe leaving the light on will help.
Hope this helps a bit, I know each individual is unique you will have to find what works best for you. It is amazing how they all seem to have similar fears and
Once a man, twice a child. So how would you reassure your toddler there are no monsters under the bed?
Good luck, and know you are not alone.
Do a bedtime routine so she can learn to wind down. Most of us need a wind down routine at night this is normal to fall asleep. Hang in there. It does take alot of problem solving skills with the elderly and their many dx.
Took away the wheelchair at night so he can't get out and about, leaving the lights on and adding more so he doesn't freak out.
Fall device will let me know if he falls. That's the best that can be done I guess for now.
When mine appear, usually as dark shadows creeping around, I leave the light on so I can see that there's nothing there. Eventually they stop coming (or I start to ignore them). It's an annoyance -- like noisy neighbors.
These are full hallucinations. Dr seems to think nursing home is the only option, but I already Know staff will just chemically restrain him to vegitive state until death.
Not an option yet while he can still talk and visit with friends.
1) "Also I noted that many nursing homes still tend to overuse the medications as a chemical restraint, and many times over medicate to save staff hours on individual patients rather than look for and address the triggers." This may be true in some places. It is not universally true. Both my mother and her sister were in (different) Medicaid-supplemented nursing homes, and neither used drugs as chemical restraints. It took my mom several months to settle in and feel secure but once past that she blossomed. The last two years of her life were more comfortable and accepted by her in the nh environment than when she lived with one of us. Of course you need to investigate and select a home carefully, but it simply isn't true that all homes use chemical restraints. (I'm not advocating placement necessarily -- lots of factors go into that -- but trying to reassure you that if placement becomes necessary it is not the end of careful care!)
2) Melatonin is not considered a "drug" so the FDA rules do not apply. Unlike drugs on the market, the vendors need not prove it is effective, study for appropriate doses, etc. There is a lot that isn't known about that therapy! Our bodies produce melatonin in teeny, tiny amounts. It does not induce sleep but rather is a signal to the body that sleep should occur soon. It can be used to nudge the time someone gets sleepy, and hence it is helpful for jet-lag. But exactly how much to take and when has not been scientifically determined. My sleep specialist said he thought .8 would be a good dose for me, but because that would be hard to do he suggested 1/2 a 1 mg tablet -- the smallest readily available on the market. There may be a way to use melatonin more effectively for your loved one. If you can find a sleep specialist who has a particular interest in that hormone, that might be worth a visit!
Sleep is a HUGE issue for the patient and also for the caregivers. My heart goes out to you.
Also getting legal issues delt with now rather than later.
His lack of good sleep if taking a rapid toll on his cognition, and he won't be able to stay home much longer without medications for these hallucinations before it kills him.
However, a few more months making the correct choice for his LTC I think we owe him.
Natural sleep aid include magnesium(healthfood store serve with tea) valerian root(strongest) & soft music(or sounds).
I hope that helps
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