Well had a brilliant holiday, but came back to chaos.
Dad went down-hill so fast while we were away and he was in respite.
Dad is now totally doubly in-continent, and wears a nappy at all times, his speech is totally in-comprehensible, and his swallow has gotten very bad, resulting in him being only able to eat pureed food from a spoon, his gait has become very bad and he is barely able to walk. The respite center told me that he only slept three of the fourteen nights that he was there, and they had to assign a nurse solely for his care 24/7. They were amazed that we were still caring for him at home, and said that they had never seen a patient cared for at home with such severe AD. We got together as a family on Friday last after having no sleep for 5 nights and decided that the kindest thing for everyone was to arrange residential care. The nursing home which we had looking after dad on the rare ocassions when we needed space would not take him as they don't take residential AD patients, but the matron there was very helpful and put us in touch with a long term care facility who were willing to take dad immediately once we had a recent medical cert from his GP. Got everything sorted on Friday evening and drove out to visit the home, and was very impressed, Dad became a resident there at 12 noon to-day.
Have phoned the home 3 times since, and they tell me that he has settled in well, at nine pm when I phoned I was told that he had asked to go to bed at 8.45, and was fast asleep, first time since we collected him on Sunday evening Last.
I hope he will be happy there, I have every confidence that he will be very well cared for, but I am feeling very sad tonight, and a little bit like I have failed him. We are still fighting with the health services, hoping to get financial help from them, there is enough money in the kitty to keep dad in care for 9 weeks, so hopefully something will be sorted out before the well runs dry.
As for all of us, we are just taking one day at a time, and hoping and praying.
Dad went down-hill so fast while we were away and he was in respite.
Dad is now totally doubly in-continent, and wears a nappy at all times, his speech is totally in-comprehensible, and his swallow has gotten very bad, resulting in him being only able to eat pureed food from a spoon, his gait has become very bad and he is barely able to walk. The respite center told me that he only slept three of the fourteen nights that he was there, and they had to assign a nurse solely for his care 24/7. They were amazed that we were still caring for him at home, and said that they had never seen a patient cared for at home with such severe AD. We got together as a family on Friday last after having no sleep for 5 nights and decided that the kindest thing for everyone was to arrange residential care. The nursing home which we had looking after dad on the rare ocassions when we needed space would not take him as they don't take residential AD patients, but the matron there was very helpful and put us in touch with a long term care facility who were willing to take dad immediately once we had a recent medical cert from his GP. Got everything sorted on Friday evening and drove out to visit the home, and was very impressed, Dad became a resident there at 12 noon to-day.
Have phoned the home 3 times since, and they tell me that he has settled in well, at nine pm when I phoned I was told that he had asked to go to bed at 8.45, and was fast asleep, first time since we collected him on Sunday evening Last.
I hope he will be happy there, I have every confidence that he will be very well cared for, but I am feeling very sad tonight, and a little bit like I have failed him. We are still fighting with the health services, hoping to get financial help from them, there is enough money in the kitty to keep dad in care for 9 weeks, so hopefully something will be sorted out before the well runs dry.
As for all of us, we are just taking one day at a time, and hoping and praying.
