Hi everyone , this is my first post . I’ve been careening for my mother for 10 years . She has Advanced Alzheimer’s. After she broke her hip this year ,she can’t walk anymore ,she is bed bound . We get her into chair/wheelchair with hoist . Last 6 weeks mum has been attacking the carers when they try and wash her /personal care . She hits,punches,bites ,screams ...The doctor said to give her a tsp Trazadone in morning as well as evening ,this doesn’t seem to be working ...I was wondering if anyone else has experienced this with there loved ones ? It’s awful to see her so upset . The carers are very understanding...thanks ...
Hitting carers
- Thread starter citcat
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She might be hitting out as she is in pain from the broken hip, so worth reviewing her pain medication. Also worth asking the carers if there is something specific they are doing during personal care which triggers the behaviour, for example is she OK when they wash her face but agitated when washing groin, back area (which can be affected by pain from a broken hip).
I agree with Louise. My mother broke her hip a year ago and the only time she hit out at a carer was after the surgery when she was in pain. Once back at her care home, they kept her on paracetamol but that wasn't effective so they switched her to codeine, she was still on this several months later and as far as I know she still is (she's also given meds to ensure she doesn't become constipated due to the codeine). If your mother isn't on daily pain relief, she may well need some.
Both my parents had dementia and my mum was very reluctant to accept personal care.
I think it’s fairly well understood now that behaviours we find difficult in people living with dementia can be due to a number of reasons. Such a big learning curve for me was understanding that in the later stages of her dementia my mum just didn’t have the insight to know how important it was to have a wash and not get into difficulties with skin care problems. She had a hoist at home. Every time it came into the room say would say ‘ I don’t need that, you’re not putting me in that’!
Can’t say that any of these are the cause of your mum getting upset but maybe worth considering......
* Physical pain and or discomfort. Not being able to clearly express you are in pain must be very frustrating.
* Lack of understanding, training, awareness from carers. Not only this but carers sometimes need to be quite creative and lateral thinking when approaching people with dementia who are reluctant to accept care. Maybe a different time, a different approach is worth a try.
Fear of equipment, ? The hoist.
My feeling generally is any sort of sedation should be the last resort. After everything else has been explored.
My mum sometimes hit out at carers. We had a meeting at the house with the home care manager and the social worker and it was really helpful. You may have a CPN or Admiral Nurse who could be good to talk to.
I can empathise with you on this. It is the hardest thing seeing loved ones in any sort of physical and emotional distress but it really is worth exploring the possible reasons behind her behaviour.
I think it’s fairly well understood now that behaviours we find difficult in people living with dementia can be due to a number of reasons. Such a big learning curve for me was understanding that in the later stages of her dementia my mum just didn’t have the insight to know how important it was to have a wash and not get into difficulties with skin care problems. She had a hoist at home. Every time it came into the room say would say ‘ I don’t need that, you’re not putting me in that’!
Can’t say that any of these are the cause of your mum getting upset but maybe worth considering......
* Physical pain and or discomfort. Not being able to clearly express you are in pain must be very frustrating.
* Lack of understanding, training, awareness from carers. Not only this but carers sometimes need to be quite creative and lateral thinking when approaching people with dementia who are reluctant to accept care. Maybe a different time, a different approach is worth a try.
Fear of equipment, ? The hoist.
My feeling generally is any sort of sedation should be the last resort. After everything else has been explored.
My mum sometimes hit out at carers. We had a meeting at the house with the home care manager and the social worker and it was really helpful. You may have a CPN or Admiral Nurse who could be good to talk to.
I can empathise with you on this. It is the hardest thing seeing loved ones in any sort of physical and emotional distress but it really is worth exploring the possible reasons behind her behaviour.
Did your mum have the hip fracture fixed or was it left as in-operable? I have also known people to have their hip replacements become displaced and it not be noticed for weeks which can explain behaviours.