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My cousin is in an Assisted Living facility. A few days per week she refuses to get out of bed until near noon. She just wants to sleep in and not get dressed or take her meds until she feels like it. She has significant dementia. How would the staff in a Dementia Unit handle this situation? She will take the meds, but only when she's up and ready to start her day.

I have met with the team at the ALF to discuss the matter. We have developed a plan to deal with this, including getting her on antidepressants. She seems depressed and has told me she is depressed. I hope the meds with help, but she has liked to sleep in until late for most of her life. I can't see it changing now.

I'm just curious as to what happens if the meds don't work and she has to go to a Dementia Unit. Does anyone know? Do they just talk with the person at length or allow them to stay in bed until they are ready to get up? Wouldn't this come under palliative care?

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As a CNA/HHA...I am private worker. I am paid to be a standby at night. My patient refuses to get dressed in the a.m. she is in ALF, but should headed to memory care. She is is getting worse and keeps talking about killing herself. She has become mean and rude. As a skilled worker in this environment daily, it's not that a worker have the lack of care, but the worker has other patients that have to be attended to equally.
Many high end facility even here in Florida can be 10:1 and if a worker calls out sick, the ratio goes higher!! Trying to care for a patient with dementia or memory loss and who refuses care is draining especially if your shift ends at 8 am. I usually start about 6:45a turning on the light and having short discussions, asking her advice on outfit. Well this use to work! Now she has become rude and demands to be left alone. Next I pretend I am speaking with her son. And she doesn't care. She would even speak to him and promise to get up , then doesn't. By this time my shift ends, and I have to leave the patient by herself, she is ALF, oxygen....in this case the patient need to have a private aide to come during the day. (Option 1) Hope this is insightful.
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Thank you all for ideas. I'm at the ER with Dad. He still could not get up this afternoon and not eating or drinking which very unusual. So called victor and called ambulance. Since we could not move Dad ourselves. He has pneumonia so that is why so non energetic today. Others have written that an infection may be the problem when cant get up. How do you know? Even right now Dad says I feel good.
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This was my thread from 2 years ago! UPDATE: My cousin did go into Secure Memory Care. She's now wheelchair bound, but is able to scoot around in her wheelchair pretty well. She even transfers well. However, at times, it's very difficult for her to coordinate her limbs. It's very difficult for her to step into a vehicle or up on a scale. The brain is not sending the signals to her limbs. So, I don't think it's a matter of the patient now wanting to get up or having sore limbs, it seems there is just no signals being sent to make them move. And apparently, it fluctuates daily.

What I have observed in Memory Care is that the residents who can no longer assist with moving are placed in either a wheelchair or a gerichair. (Gerichair is like a recliner on wheels. It slants back. It allows people who can't hold themselves up to sit and be moved to another room. They sometimes have a tray in front that helps support the person.) I'm not sure who you might contact about it. It may be covered by insurance. Maybe, you'll get some more responses here.
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Dad is 180 lbs plus. Mom is just 100 lbs. I tried to roll him over but couldn't budge him. Plus I've been told by our Home care agency that their caregivers are not allowed to lift, Pull or push. And family should not either. I told Mom we may need a hospital bed that would fit him up the easier to get out of bed. No hurry to order that this minute but think for future.
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GOGURLZ, when my mom won't get up I tell her she needs to be changed, she needs her pills and she will feel much better after it is done. I just roll her over, put her feet off the side of the bed and sit her up and start our morning routine. Of course she is only 125 lbs and pretty much physically dependent, I'm not sure if that is practical with your dad? (My friend was marvelling at the muscles in my arms, I told her it was from my "old lady" workout routine LOL)
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My Dad with dementia has days where won't get up out of bed for over an hour. We try to calmly tell him to roll over etc. He says his brain won't tell him to do that. Today he stays on his back and don't roll over or do anything else to get up. for 1 1/2 hours so far. Should we get a hospital bed so can sit him up then maybe he can roll from there and get feet on floor etc? Any ideas?
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The shame - lack of a work ethic. It's rampant.
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Cajoling.....yes, that's what I do. It takes just a few words to me on the phone and she will agree to get up. And a couple at the ALF have told me they just work with her a little and she gets up for them too. There are just a few who don't seem to have any interest in trying to work with her. I can understand it's not required, but it sure is a shame.
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The Memory Care Floor at the nursing home mom rehabbed in had a ratio of 1:4 all times except overnight. I'd think a job requirement for an aid on that floor would be "Expert at Cajoling". Ha!
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Okay. So, I guess that the Dementia Unit would be set up so that their staff has a lower patient/staff ratio than the ALF and they probably have better training on how to convince them to get up.

Right now her getting up in the mornings seems to be the only issue. She loves it there, but if the antidepressants don't help her then she'll have to go to a Dementia facility. I really wish it could be avoided, but they can't keep her there with her doing that.
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I'd say they'd work with her. I'd be very surprised if they went to war over getting her up and dressed in the morning. May depend on their policies, of course. Maybe with those people, they come in first thing, wake them, and give them advance notice they'll "be back" to get them up in a half hour or something.
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Thanks Eyerishlass for you comment. I guess my cousin is lucky, because the ALF she is in helps assists the patients with many things. They help them get dressed, bathed, grooming, etc. They even administer the residents their medications. They come and accompany them to the dining hall for activities and meals. But, they are assisted living.

I'm just curious as to what a Dementia Unit facility would do to get her up in the mornings. If she refuses, do they force her? She can't be the only patient like this.
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A memory care unit is like a nursing home. Unlike assisted living where your cousin can do pretty much whatever she'd like to do, a memory care unit would help her up in the morning, help her get dressed, and get her up for the day. They would give her meds when she's supposed to have meds.

People in assisted living are pretty much left to their own devices when it comes to sleeping in.
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