I think I posted something like this a while ago, and got good advice, but things are moving on a bit.
My Mum is a permanent care home resident, in a dementia unit of a care home where she has lived for the last three years. She is becoming increasingly combative with staff over personal care. Sometimes it takes four staff to manage her, which is very hard for the care home.
I am attending a meeting on Monday to discuss what we can do to aleviate this, for her sake and the staff. We will discuss medication, but as she has bipolar disorder as well as late stage mixed dementia, she already takes lithium and large doses of mood stabilisers.
We are currently funded by the Local Authority. Does anyone have experience of an LA social worker helping to find a placement for very challenging behaviour (should she have to leave the home)?
I think the home will make great efforts to keep her, but for my sanity I try and think a bit ahead if I can. She does have a social worker but I think, having met her, that this would be a bit beyond her experience.
Does anyone else have experience of the mix of late stage dementia and bipolar? Her bipolar was well controlled before dementia but now her mood varies a lot, though personal care is a particular issue and I wonder if she is becoming too accustomed to the lithium and it is no longer working?
Anyone have experience of this?
My Mum is a permanent care home resident, in a dementia unit of a care home where she has lived for the last three years. She is becoming increasingly combative with staff over personal care. Sometimes it takes four staff to manage her, which is very hard for the care home.
I am attending a meeting on Monday to discuss what we can do to aleviate this, for her sake and the staff. We will discuss medication, but as she has bipolar disorder as well as late stage mixed dementia, she already takes lithium and large doses of mood stabilisers.
We are currently funded by the Local Authority. Does anyone have experience of an LA social worker helping to find a placement for very challenging behaviour (should she have to leave the home)?
I think the home will make great efforts to keep her, but for my sanity I try and think a bit ahead if I can. She does have a social worker but I think, having met her, that this would be a bit beyond her experience.
Does anyone else have experience of the mix of late stage dementia and bipolar? Her bipolar was well controlled before dementia but now her mood varies a lot, though personal care is a particular issue and I wonder if she is becoming too accustomed to the lithium and it is no longer working?
Anyone have experience of this?