My ex MIL has been in MC a year. Just in the last 2 weeks her behavior has changed drastically. Anyone experience this?

Nurse suggest that because she's not the probably nice, docile, easy to manage person anymore, obviously something is wrong.

Psych Hospital may/could medicate her until she is practically catatonic.

First question, have they tested for UTI?  Many times that can cause a behavior change, and unlike with younger people, not always the same pain that is a tell tale sign.

Two, can you get a psch eval without moving her?   She may need a change I meds.

No, I have not experienced this precise experience. Every one's situation is unique, and every one is heartbreaking. I have experienced my late 70's mthr having a sudden downturn in brain function which was marked by higher neediness, begging to go home, and even trying to crawl through a window to get to the white car in the parking lot which she claimed was hers. It's so sad to watch this happen, but it's not your XMIL speaking these things, it's the awful disease Alzheimers (or another dementia). Dod's emotions are there and she's scared.

When mthr was scared, I was reluctant to try the psyc meds because they were addictive and I heard all these bad things about them. Then I realized, mthr was not coming back from this disease. It's ok if she gets addicted to psych meds because she needs them - it's not ok for a 40 year old mom to get addicted to them. The goal of my mthr's care became keeping her happy and not causing her distress.

Mthr was so much happier once her brain chemistry was adjusted to the right levels. The disease is eating away at her brain and changing the hormones ad electrical systems so fast, and her brain just was not working right anymore. Dod might need to go to a psych hospital just to get her adjusted to the meds. The reason is if she is hospitalized when they give her the drugs, they are legally able to use what are called chemical restraints... In other words, they can give her an emergency shot of something that will instantly relax her if she starts having panic attacks and hallucinations. Not even the nurses are allowed to do this in a nursing home, thus the reason for the hospital while they get her meds straight. When she comes back, she will be much happier. Her doctor may be able to prescribe for her without this if her medical POA will allow it before she gets in such a bad place.

You can see she needs the meds because she's bawling her eyes out and she would not be able to have her cats. Those are her symptoms, and with the right meds, everything will be ok. I wish mthr had been able to have these meds for the last 20 years as she would have had such a better ending to her life.