We have just signed my father (95) into hospice and are hoping to move him and my mother (92 w/dementia) to an AL in about 4-5 days. My father took a very sudden change for the worse (pulmonary fibrosis) and we are needing to move fast. I'm seeking any advice to make the move smoother and anything I need to be looking for or asking about so as not to be blindsided later on.
The AL is amazing, as is Hospice, but we will be in charge of providing for my mother until she qualifies for Hospice. Any experienced advice to make the move more comfortable for her? She will be okay with the initial move as we've explained she will be going so that our father won't be alone there.
My one and pretty much only concern for her is falling. She is still continent if she can get to the bathroom, and she will get up several time during the night to go and there have been some falls here at home.
The AL doesn't allow alarms, restraints, side rails or anything I can think of due to state laws (Texas). They can send a check by every 1/2 or 1 hour but I fear she will be sleeping until they've gone and then try to get up.
With her dementia, she will not remember to push any type of call button.
Any help with ideas and suggestions most welcome!
Praying and hoping.
MamaChar
Blessed Be!
I used to wake my Husband up and get him to the bathroom before I went to bed.
(sometimes it helped and he did not soak though his pull-up brief (aka diaper, I do not like that term)
He would go to bed much earlier than I would and I would get him up and he would go to the bathroom and then I would get him back into bed.
Then it got to the point where it was safer to change him in bed, by then I/he was using the tab briefs. The reason it was easier was that in order to get him up I had to use equipment
Would she use a bedside commode? It might be safer than her getting up to walk to the bathroom.
Sounds to me you have all your ducks in a row for now. The AL seems to be in agreement with it all. Good Luck and update us on how its working out. We learn from others experiences.
Keep us posted on how things are progressing.
Even with three people in attendance, we couldn't keep my dad from falling.
We'd be one on each side and one behind, and he'd just go limp and be on the floor. Not always - mostly we could stop it.
You've done such a good job in finding care for your parents, so relax and accept that you've done your best. Whatever happens, happens. It's kind of like with our kids; we'd like to wrap them up in cotton batting to make sure that nothing hurts them. Same thing with elders. In either case, we can't always keep them safe.
I'm sure that the facility doesn't want anything to happen to her either. So there's that.
Only you and the administration (and it sounds like a great place from what you have told us) can decide the appropriateness.
I sure do wish you the best of luck. You have, it seems to me, tried hard to think of everything. There are always surprises, but that's life. I wish you the very best.