Hi, I've posted here before about my Nan's sundowning all through the day and night. It's been nearly four weeks since this started with the odd day were she just seems to crash and sleep. On the days she is awake her shouting for me is near constant. It never seems to stop. Her GP prescribed her Lorazepam and later Zolpidem to help ease her anxiety and to help her sleep but it's barely had an effect and is unwilling to prescribe her anything else.
It got so bad that two weeks ago I rang social services to see what they advise. The lady I spoke to suggested a two to four week respite and "see what happens". While a break would be nice my main incentive for agreeing was the promise that nursing homes work with doctors that will find the right medication to settle her. She said "trust me, you'll see an improvement".
After dragging their heels it looks like some progress is being made in finding her a place. A man may be coming to assess her in the next few days but I'm starting to have some second thoughts. These past few weeks she seems to be in decline in ways beyond her anxiety. Other than shouting out my name and the odd engrained phrase she's struggling to get words out and using the wrong words for things, it takes some time to interpret what she wants. While she knows to shout my name she doesn't always seem to know it's me and talks to me as if I was a nurse attending to her in hospital. On the one hand her already thinking she's not home may make being in a care go smoother I worry a genuine change may unsettle her further and make her go even more downhill.
I spoke to an admiral nurse about this and she told me to brace myself for her declining while she's in there. She also said given her age and frailty she doesn't think the doctors they work with prescribing her anything different...but that's the whole reason I wanted her to go in the first place. The promise their doctors will find her the right treatment to settle her.
I don't know if this is really right for her. She's been bed bound since Christmas. There has been some suggestion of using a hoist to put her in a communal room with other patients but with her frsilty I have visions they'll simply leave her alone in bed all day with no interaction outside of meals and pad changes.
Has anyone got any experiences they can share because I'm starting to have serious doubts.
It got so bad that two weeks ago I rang social services to see what they advise. The lady I spoke to suggested a two to four week respite and "see what happens". While a break would be nice my main incentive for agreeing was the promise that nursing homes work with doctors that will find the right medication to settle her. She said "trust me, you'll see an improvement".
After dragging their heels it looks like some progress is being made in finding her a place. A man may be coming to assess her in the next few days but I'm starting to have some second thoughts. These past few weeks she seems to be in decline in ways beyond her anxiety. Other than shouting out my name and the odd engrained phrase she's struggling to get words out and using the wrong words for things, it takes some time to interpret what she wants. While she knows to shout my name she doesn't always seem to know it's me and talks to me as if I was a nurse attending to her in hospital. On the one hand her already thinking she's not home may make being in a care go smoother I worry a genuine change may unsettle her further and make her go even more downhill.
I spoke to an admiral nurse about this and she told me to brace myself for her declining while she's in there. She also said given her age and frailty she doesn't think the doctors they work with prescribing her anything different...but that's the whole reason I wanted her to go in the first place. The promise their doctors will find her the right treatment to settle her.
I don't know if this is really right for her. She's been bed bound since Christmas. There has been some suggestion of using a hoist to put her in a communal room with other patients but with her frsilty I have visions they'll simply leave her alone in bed all day with no interaction outside of meals and pad changes.
Has anyone got any experiences they can share because I'm starting to have serious doubts.