I wonder if anyone can help me out here.
I'm 39 and my mother is 79. Always very bright and trendy (the vespa and mohair, bar italia and brigette bardot generation!!), she had an atypical Parkinson's diagnosis (ealry fall syndrome, no shakes, treated with madopar) until last winter when she fell from bed. She broke her hip, her replacement hip developed sepsis (no doubt caused by her delirious state in hospital and lack of trauma bed). She was re-diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia and ended up with her hip removed and is in a wheel chair. So she needs hoisting, she has a crash mat by her bed as she has nighttime disturbances, but take her out to a restaurant and she's there with a glass of wine having a wonderful chat and knows all the news, perfect memory with the odd strange confabulation or glitch in her mind's processing.
She is in a (in terms of care) wonderful private care home, but we have a problem. She is 70% of the time totally switched on, aware, chatty, bright and so on and so forth. She suffers hallucinations and episodes, classic Lewy Body, these kick in as and when.
The problem is everyone around her are very very deeply affected by their dementia and she HATES it, and stick out like a sore thumb. My understanding is that no home will accept her unless it caters for dementia, and in the area where she and dad live (he is 85 just up to road so very convenenient for him), there don't seem to be any mixed homes. I've bneen told all the dementia homes are just the same. We plan to move dad with us and mum up the road but in the next 9 months I want to see her cared for but happy in a lively fun environment. Her psychiatric specialist shares our concerns, it is very hard to see her crying about how awful it is to be taken out of bed, denied what to wear, when she can brush her hair or make her face up etc etc, and to be surrounded by people who hold dolls and can barely talk.
Any thoughts? We feel rather desperate because she is so unhappy but there seems to be a real shortage of places where she can be looked after for. As an only child and 39, I really need to find a place that allows us to know she is well and have time to grow our young family too, all quite tricky.
Thanks!
I'm 39 and my mother is 79. Always very bright and trendy (the vespa and mohair, bar italia and brigette bardot generation!!), she had an atypical Parkinson's diagnosis (ealry fall syndrome, no shakes, treated with madopar) until last winter when she fell from bed. She broke her hip, her replacement hip developed sepsis (no doubt caused by her delirious state in hospital and lack of trauma bed). She was re-diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia and ended up with her hip removed and is in a wheel chair. So she needs hoisting, she has a crash mat by her bed as she has nighttime disturbances, but take her out to a restaurant and she's there with a glass of wine having a wonderful chat and knows all the news, perfect memory with the odd strange confabulation or glitch in her mind's processing.
She is in a (in terms of care) wonderful private care home, but we have a problem. She is 70% of the time totally switched on, aware, chatty, bright and so on and so forth. She suffers hallucinations and episodes, classic Lewy Body, these kick in as and when.
The problem is everyone around her are very very deeply affected by their dementia and she HATES it, and stick out like a sore thumb. My understanding is that no home will accept her unless it caters for dementia, and in the area where she and dad live (he is 85 just up to road so very convenenient for him), there don't seem to be any mixed homes. I've bneen told all the dementia homes are just the same. We plan to move dad with us and mum up the road but in the next 9 months I want to see her cared for but happy in a lively fun environment. Her psychiatric specialist shares our concerns, it is very hard to see her crying about how awful it is to be taken out of bed, denied what to wear, when she can brush her hair or make her face up etc etc, and to be surrounded by people who hold dolls and can barely talk.
Any thoughts? We feel rather desperate because she is so unhappy but there seems to be a real shortage of places where she can be looked after for. As an only child and 39, I really need to find a place that allows us to know she is well and have time to grow our young family too, all quite tricky.
Thanks!
