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Mom seems to be refusing care at night - incontinence change of pull-ups - is biting, kicking and digging fingernails into the arms of the nurse or aide. Mom is 98 1/2 yrs old and has been in the nursing home for 2 1/2 years now and has experienced the death of a few of her friends. When certain aides approach her on her level, tell her their name and what they are there for she seems to respond better. Also when the weekend comes and people change and no activities she usually is not in a good mood and seems to sleep alot - her medication is Celexa but I have heard that this medication is not doing much for chronic depression according to our Alzheimers Organization here in Minneapolis. Is there anything else beside bhvr mod for some nurses and aides in their approach to mom that might help or a med that is known to help chronic depression? Mom also has Post Herpetic Neuralgia, macular degeneration.
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Thank you - I will try music and I never thought of having her tested monthly at the nursing home and I will check when she gets her Celexa, if it’s at night already then that is not the problem because if we lower the dose mom gets more agitated...........again frustrating. I’m going to call the nurse manager now - thanks again
Laurie
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Could quiet, soothing music help calm and distract her while her work is being done?
The weekends used to drive us crazy during my mom’s care, but things are done much more nicely now, with many more familiar faces circulating on and off during weekends.
We used to complain as calmly and pleasantly as possible when someone did something truly bothersome during her weekend care.
Has Mom ever tried a very small dose of Melatonin at night?
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Tillie69 Jun 2019
Thank you for your reply - I could ask her what her favorite music is and that might help but she does wear hearing aides - I’ll try and we have given her a 0.9 extended melatonin but it didn’t do anything for her - Mom has never sleep well in her whole life - I am against all this medication and Celexa also causes sleepiness so she does sleep during the day as well.........frustrating!
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When my mother acted like that, she almost always had a UTI. We decided to have the facility test her monthly. They always did, because it was for their safety as well as Mom’s.

You are within your rights to call a Care Conference for Mom. Ask them if they think a nightly low-dose anti-anxiety Med might help.
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