Alzheimers and diabetes

[duddy]

hello

I am completely new to this forum so am looking forward to learning from everyone else's experiences!

My mum has Alzheimers and diabetes which brings its own type of problems. She often forgets if she has taken her insulin and sometimes misses her injection entirely. She also wont check her sugar levels. My dad prompts her to take her injections four times a day and tries to keep a log, but she often cant remember what she's done. Does any one else have this problem to face and, if so, how do you cope with it?

Thank you

 

[Margarita]

welcome

I had all those problem with my mother also not taking her medication tablets for diabetic, I must say it was a nightmare that I had to get the help of the district nurse, and they showed me how to do the blood sugar levels . if your father does not like giving her the injection as it sounds like it got to that stage, as she is just forgetting she can not help it, and the doctor who does the referral for the district nurse should understand that and get the district nurses in to administer the injection.

My social worker also help me with getting the district nurses in , she just give them the push to come around , I do all my mother medication , blood surge levels now . Would your father be willing to learn how to do that , but don’t worry if he does not want to as he legal entailed for a nurse to come around , you may find your mother not like someone to give her the injection.

 

[duddy]

Hello Margarita and thank you for your welcome!

She's been on four injections per day which my dad has been prompting her to take and it's been quite stressful for him. He's actually just recently had a heart attack - they think exacerbated by the straing of looking after her.

Where she lives, district nurses will visit once per day but no more than that due to their limited resources, so we are looking at the possibility of carers coming in to oversee her doing the other injection herself (my Mum is currently in hospital and they are trying to move her to two injections per day, which would be more manageable). I dont live nearby so cant be involved on a daily basis.

The proposal is that district nurse visits in the morning, checks her blood sugar level and gives her the first injection of the day. then the nurse would draw up the second injection and leave it in the fridge for mum to give herself later in the day when prompted by the carer. The concern is though, that she might just inject herself earlier than that, rather than wait till the right time of day. Any thoughts on that?
Thanks for your thoughts.

 

[Grannie G]

Hi duddy, another warm welcome to TP.

My husband is diabetic, Type 2, and still on medication, rather than Insulin. I cannot trust him to take his tablets. He has morning and evening tablets, and if I put them out, he is so worried in case he forgets, he takes both lots at the same time.

Now I administer the tablets, test his blood and keep a record.

If a district nurse were to leave anything out for him, he would take it as soon as he saw it.

Could the second injection be `hidden` in the fridge for your father to get out at the right time.

It`s so sad such poorly people are unable to get more help at home.

 

[duddy]

Hello Sylvia and thank you for your kind welcome!
I think your approach might be just the sort of thing we will do. Either hide it somehow in the fridge or get a small fridge (the type you keep a few beers in!) in dad's bedroom perhaps and keep it there, where she wouldnt normally go.
Doc says she will probably need to go into some sort of residential care home within a few months to get the level of care she will need to be safe, so at the moment we are looking at care at home as being an interim solution really...
She got quite distressed at first mention of this but then later had forgotten that it had been discussed. I guess that's something we should start planning and researching and use this time as a bit of a breathing-space and time to adjust (particularly for my dad).
thank you. I dare say I will be on here quite often (work allowing!!).

 

[noelphobic]

Hello Sylvia and thank you for your kind welcome!
I think your approach might be just the sort of thing we will do. Either hide it somehow in the fridge or get a small fridge (the type you keep a few beers in!) in dad's bedroom perhaps and keep it there, where she wouldnt normally go.
Doc says she will probably need to go into some sort of residential care home within a few months to get the level of care she will need to be safe, so at the moment we are looking at care at home as being an interim solution really...
She got quite distressed at first mention of this but then later had forgotten that it had been discussed. I guess that's something we should start planning and researching and use this time as a bit of a breathing-space and time to adjust (particularly for my dad).
thank you. I dare say I will be on here quite often (work allowing!!).

Hi Duddy and welcome to the TP

I can't add much to the advice you have already been given re the injections and blood tests. My 18 year old son has type 1 diabetes so I understand how crucial it is that the insulin injections should be given at the right time and in the right dosage.

I was just wondering whether you have been advised that she will need to go into a care home or a nursing home? It's just that I am not sure whether staff in a care home would give injections and do blood tests, although I am sure they would in a nursing home, as they have fully qualified nurses on the staff. My mum used to be in an EMI home and I seem to recall one of the staff saying that the district nurse visited to give insulin injections to those who needed them. It may well be something you have already discussed, in which case forget I asked!

Brenda

 

[duddy]

Thank you Brenda
They said she would need medical care so I guess that means nursing home. What with both mum and dad needing help just now I dont suppose I was taking it all in at the time! I guess that is our next thing to look into.
thank you very much

 

[connie]

Hi duddy, Lionel's diabetis is diet controlled, thank goodness. The didtrict nurse comes into the care home to do 'injections' for the couple of residents who need their insulin.

 

[Margarita]

what a good Idea about the fridge and hiding it Sylvia .

duddy , like you said small fridge , but with a lock ?


http://www.reviewcentre.com/reviews53130.html

 

[Grannie G]

I don`t know about any of your nearest and dearest with Alzheimers/Dementia, but my husbands movement is now affected. This makes it difficult for him to bend. In addition, he is not as observant as he was, so only sees things, literally in front of him.
So if I wanted to hide anything in the fridge, all I`d do is put it on the lowest shelf, right at the back. There is no way he would find it.
That is really what I was suggesting.

 

[duddy]

thank you all and sorry for the late response. We are in fact going to get a new fridge for their house as their current one is old and a bit clapped out (like the rest of us!).

We're going to get a smaller one rather than the large one they have now and I think it will be quite easy to keep something there - maybe in a box - that she wouldnt really look into. Or the alternative is in a small fridge upstairs. Their concern is that it cant be locked in case, say, my dad is or isnt there when she needs it. But I think this may work! We;ll try in any case!

Thank you for your suggestions. I just think there must be lots of other people out there with the same sort of problem - wouldnt it be great if there were some sort of invention to help!!

 

[Margarita]

Yes Sylvia I new what you meant

My mother like that now

In addition, he is not as observant as he was,

we our only saying it for they own Health, as we know they can't help it .


As I no in the past I had a worry with my mother going in the fridge and picking at the high fat cheese or other food she was not allowed to eat , because of her diabetic, and district nurse , asking me what had she eaten the night before that rise her sugar level so high, when she use to do the reading and nurse looking at me as if I am not looking after my mother food in take .

Till one day I saw mum going in to fridge when she thought I was not around, bless her she did jump.

I did see a child lock , may be depending what stage your mother is with her AZ , she may not be able to work it out how to open fridge with child lock