Hi
Just posting as I am feeling very sad, scared and confused.
My mum has had Alzheimer's for roughly 7 or 8 years. She has been in a lovely Residential Specialist Dementia Care Home for 2 1/2 years where she was cared for really well. She started to decline quite a bit in the latter part of last year to the point where she was being fed, was very sleepy, much more confused and having continence issues and a few falls. Then a month ago she fell out of bed and broke her femur.
She has been in hospital and community hospital for a month and has had a hemi hip replacement. Unfortunately due to her alzheimer's she couldn't follow instruction so the physios have been unable to get her walking. She has been on a slow release patch of Butec 5mg buprenorphine for pain and she moved to a nursing home last week as she was unable to go back to the Care Home due to her current needs. I was hoping when she got to the nursing home she might 'perk up' a bit so to speak but am so distressed to see her how she is, she appears to be bed ridden and sleeping most of the time, she still has a catheter and is now doubly incontinent.
I have asked the care home if they will try and get her out of bed once she is stronger and they have said they will see once she settles in, I have also asked them to speak to the GP to see if she should still be on the Butec patch. I just don't know if I am in denial about how she is now and if I need to accept it or if there is something more I should be doing, but if so what? ! I am worried I have made a bad choice in Nursing Home but can't really see how any of the other ones would be better really, and this one is near to where I work so I can go and visit her every lunch time, where I can try and get her to drink a bit and hold her hand. Just in a bit of shock I think and need to get it out of my system. Any advice/reassurance would be gratefully received.
Kirsti x
Just posting as I am feeling very sad, scared and confused.
My mum has had Alzheimer's for roughly 7 or 8 years. She has been in a lovely Residential Specialist Dementia Care Home for 2 1/2 years where she was cared for really well. She started to decline quite a bit in the latter part of last year to the point where she was being fed, was very sleepy, much more confused and having continence issues and a few falls. Then a month ago she fell out of bed and broke her femur.
She has been in hospital and community hospital for a month and has had a hemi hip replacement. Unfortunately due to her alzheimer's she couldn't follow instruction so the physios have been unable to get her walking. She has been on a slow release patch of Butec 5mg buprenorphine for pain and she moved to a nursing home last week as she was unable to go back to the Care Home due to her current needs. I was hoping when she got to the nursing home she might 'perk up' a bit so to speak but am so distressed to see her how she is, she appears to be bed ridden and sleeping most of the time, she still has a catheter and is now doubly incontinent.
I have asked the care home if they will try and get her out of bed once she is stronger and they have said they will see once she settles in, I have also asked them to speak to the GP to see if she should still be on the Butec patch. I just don't know if I am in denial about how she is now and if I need to accept it or if there is something more I should be doing, but if so what? ! I am worried I have made a bad choice in Nursing Home but can't really see how any of the other ones would be better really, and this one is near to where I work so I can go and visit her every lunch time, where I can try and get her to drink a bit and hold her hand. Just in a bit of shock I think and need to get it out of my system. Any advice/reassurance would be gratefully received.
Kirsti x