Took my mom to A&E for the first time for her erratic behaviour

AVFC_Wembley

Registered User
May 26, 2015
4
0
Hello, I'd be interested in anyone who is at a similar stage to me or has a similar story.

My mom, 77 has been diagnosed with Alzheimers a month ago. Her behaviours fall in three categories:

- Forgetfulness, not finding the words, not remembering recent events
- Delusions, hallucinations - thinking there are children in the house on a daily basis
- Not feeling like her home is her own - packing random things in bags to take to her new home, and hiding valuables.

NHS mental health doctors have been round three times, prescribing Ramipril, and SS were due to make an appointment this Thursday.

Last Wednesday, the mental health doctor recommended ruling out a water infection, so we got a course of antibiotics.

On Friday, my mom was very persistent that she wanted to leave 'and go to her own home'. I phoned NHS direct and they sent an ambulance round (most likely because her antibotics were hidden). They did tests which showed the water infection had cleared and no other health issues.

Because of her mental condition, they wanted to keep her in the hospital. However, the specialist wing is full, so she has been since Saturday morning in a general geriatric wing. I feel so bad for her as she is normally very nervous and anxious around new people and sudden noises, so I suspect she has not been getting any sleep. When I visited on Sunday she was trembling like a leaf in her chair, unable to speak and shaking at any of the ward's noises. I managed to get her to rest in bed for a couple of hours which improved her slightly but she was still desperate to get away, saying she'd rather be dead than spend another night there.

I suppose what I'm looking for is a 'Will it get better' in terms of adapting to hospital life. I'm dreading seeing what state she'll be in today. Plus I'm feeling guilty that maybe I should have insisted on a home-based care solution instead of hospital life, and that maybe she's relating seeing me to going home, as she's always wandering to the exit when I visit.
 

Tin

Registered User
May 18, 2014
4,820
0
UK
What exactly are they looking for? Are they sorting her medication? or do they feel she is a danger to herself? All of what you described seems sadly normal behaviour for someone suffering from Dementia. If she is under a consultant at the hospital I would try to get an appointment to talk to them.
 

AVFC_Wembley

Registered User
May 26, 2015
4
0
What exactly are they looking for? Are they sorting her medication? or do they feel she is a danger to herself? All of what you described seems sadly normal behaviour for someone suffering from Dementia. If she is under a consultant at the hospital I would try to get an appointment to talk to them.

Hello, thanks for the quick response. I'm presuming it would be because she would be a danger to herself as she cannot remember where she lives since Friday, and this may bring on the wandering. I don't think there is any specialist seeing her as yet, all the people I have spoken to recently were nurses. Maybe this is because this is a general care decision unit and not a specialised ward. I'll try to ask for a consultant's answer tonight.
 

Beate

Registered User
May 21, 2014
12,179
0
London
Hospitals are bad for people living with dementia. The general noise and bustle, over-medication, busy nurses with no time to feed them or make sure they have everything they need or don't wander off in search of the toilet... Unless there is a really pressing reason for her to be there, I'd get her out of there sharpish. Medication won't stop wandering unless they drug her up to her eyeballs which isn't a good idea as it might increase the risk of falls. If she was a danger to herself with challenging behaviour like aggression or violence, she might get senctioned, but that's a whole different scenario.
 
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Tin

Registered User
May 18, 2014
4,820
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UK
Hope you can get some answers very soon. Don't think its the right place for your mother.
 

Tin

Registered User
May 18, 2014
4,820
0
UK
Hope you can get some answers very soon. Don't think its the right place for your mother.
 

Sianey

Registered User
Mar 23, 2015
103
0
Yorkshire
Your Mam

Hi,

I don't suppose your Mam has had TIAs has she. It's just she sounds identical to my Mam. Mam started last July seeing people in her home, couldn't remember things and the things you describe sound identical to my Mam. She was believed to have a few TIA strokes before her Stroke last August. At first she was admitted as the medications were to blame but it showed up on the mri scan. My Mam suffered terrible delirium in hospital when recovering and would pack and wander around the ward all day long.

My mam went into respite eight weeks ago and has gone permanent in a home today as she couldn't look after herself anymore and she wandered a lot. My Mam would pack allsorts of junk in her case, really weird things like one shoe and ornaments,

Does your Mam have any carers coming in to help her?


I understand how you feel as you just want things to go back to how they were.

X
 
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canary

Registered User
Feb 25, 2014
25,018
0
South coast
You could be describing my Mum who has Alzheimers. As Tin says, it is sadly normal for dementia patients.
Do they think that your mom could not look after herself at home? My mum went into hospital after a TIA and from there went into a care home. They may be looking for a safe place to discharge her to.
Id try and find some more information from the doctors.
 

Lisa74

Registered User
May 27, 2011
274
0
Hi AVFC,

I hope things get sorted out soon-perhaps in terms of a care package from social services and a prescription of a sedative for as-needed use.

My gran (who lives with me in my family home) has had Vascular dementia for 7 or 8 years and has been trying to escape to see her parents (because she says our house isn't her real home!!) for the past 2 or 3 years but has been very aggressive and managed to throw cups of tea/hit people with her walking stick and tried to break the door down with various instruments when trying to escape recently. She also thinks there are babies upstairs and boyfriends waiting for her outside (she's 90). We've now got a prescription of Lorazepam to help her calm down a bit and we use it whenever she has these 'episodes'.
 

AVFC_Wembley

Registered User
May 26, 2015
4
0
Thanks for all the responses. I visited yesterday, she's still in the Care Decision Unit - so that means zero mental help has been given to her since Saturday. Their special ward is still full, admitting other cases ahead of her. It's really sad and frustrating, No specialists available to talk to about her condition, just ward nurses. I can't believe it's taken so long.

I'll be meeting a Social Worker there today so hopefully they can press things along.

Sorry, I don't recognise the acronym TIA - could somebody explain this? Thanks.
 

AVFC_Wembley

Registered User
May 26, 2015
4
0
Sianey, I haven't had any care offered yet, maybe the social worker visit today may change things, and work out a better plan for her care.
 

chris53

Registered User
Nov 9, 2009
2,929
0
London
Hi AVFC, I hope you have had some answers and massive help regarding your mum:eek: everything seems to take so long, and sadly time is not on their or our side, I truly wish that some of the people that work in these units have a personal experience of the frustrations that this illness puts on the people we care for and us as people that care...regarding TIA's aka mini strokes..I will attach a link..
Take care
Chris
 
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Sianey

Registered User
Mar 23, 2015
103
0
Yorkshire
Tia

My Mam unfortunately when she had TIA she also had cortical atrophy with them. I was told by her Consultant you can have them in your sleep without realising.
 

Sianey

Registered User
Mar 23, 2015
103
0
Yorkshire
Carers

Hi,

Did you get any further help with the Social Worker regards care plan?

We got seven months out of a care plan from discharge from Mam having a stroke until she went into respite. I'm glad we tried it though it gave independence as long as we could give her.

my Mam is always at the door as well lol. I got told by the hospital some are just wanderers sounds like your Mam is one :)