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mccollum1 Asked December 2018

My mother (90) is transitioning from assisted living to a SNF. She has dementia. How can I make it a smooth transition for her?

She is going into rehab first, if Aetna Medicare approves short term.

mccollum1 Jan 2019
Thank you for your response. So far mother is doing well. Everyone there including staff is very gracious and kind to her. It appears she has lost sight in her one good eye. So we think she is partially blind now which makes the adjustment easier.
rocketjcat Jan 2019
My mom stopped walking with a walker when she lost her vision so be very alert of changes like that. She was so afraid of falling and disoriented that she just couldn’t do it. Now I’ve found it very helpful if I and her aides give her Very specific directions. “Turn right”, not “turn this way”. Not just “Here’s your tea”, but rather “Here’s your tea, there’s 2 handles and the straw is in the middle”. Things like that. When they’re escorting her somewhere (possibly in a wheelchair?) make sure they tell her where she’s going and who’s around her. Mom gets very disoriented when they move her from one room to another. Try to keep the lights bright in the room during the day. And a cup holder for the wheelchair or walker in case she can’t see her table clearly is helpful.
Ahmijoy Dec 2018
Dementia patients don’t do well with change,so be prepared for anxiety and confusion levels to rise. You may want to ask her doctor to provide a low dose of an anti-anxiety Med for her for the two moves.

Try to bring things from the AL to rehab and the SNF that she will recognize as her’s. It will be comforting to her to see familiar things.

Reassure her that you wint abandon her and will be by her side until she feels comfortable. Tell her she’s ok and that the staff will take good care of her. It will be frightening for her, but stay close and support her. Good luck. Come back and let us know how she’s doing.

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