My husband, who has Alzheimer’s has locked me out of our bedroom. Advice?

I hope the next few days can show improvement in his mood. It may be, for his & your safety, he needs to have an admit for observation.

Once he is safely supervised, you can breathe, relax a bit. Tour some MC places - as a future plan. Hopefully, he can stabilise & he can remain with you for as long as you think it best.

Can you get your Doctor to do house calls to check him? This is what happens when agitation is high in a facility or hospital, sometimes even a sedative will be administered.

Do not have any family at all, or just none there where you are? If you do have children or family members who could help if they were there, then sound the alarm and get them out there to help.
Contact the local Council on Aging for your area or the Alzheimers Association in your area. (Alz.org) You need support -- don't try to do this all by yourself.

I would not take your husband with you as you look at MC facilities - it may only agitate him more. Find a facility close to you that you think best fits him. Then once you've found the one set the move in day. At that time take you husband. It sounds kind of mean - but it may be less stressful to him not to tell him untile shortly before you take him. I'm so sorry you're going through this.

Make sure all medications are locked away so he doesn't accidently ingest any.

I agree he should be checked for UTI.

Take good care of yourself and be prepared to call 911 if he is self harming - or if he tries to harm you.

You say you have no family here - could a family member come to you when its time to move your husband to give you support? Do you have other support - friends, a faith group you can lean on for support and assistance? I'm sure you could use some support at this time.

May you be blessed with peace and love.

Thank you for your thoughtful responses.
we have no family here. I have visited one memory care unit but I have to take him with me.
the seroquel is to hopefully calm him when he gets agitated.
he has always been a loving caring husband. Watching him descend into the hell of Alzheimer’s is almost unbearable.

Thank you for your thoughtful responses.
we have no family here. I have visited one memory care unit but I have to take him with me.
the seroquel is to hopefully calm him when he gets agitated.
he has always been a loving caring husband. Watching him descend into the hell of Alzheimer’s is almost unbearable.

We have no family here. I have removed the locks. So that makes me feel a little better.
he has always been a sweet loving romantic guy. Watching him descend into the hell of Alzheimer’s is almost unbearable.
I have visited one memory care unit. But I have to take him with me. And now he doesn’t want to leave the house.
yes the seroquel is to even out his moods.

We have no family here. I have removed the locks. So that makes me feel a little better.
he has always been a sweet loving romantic guy. Watching him descend into the hell of Alzheimer’s is almost unbearable.
I have visited one memory care unit. But I have to take him with me. And now he doesn’t want to leave the house.

Is it a passage lock like found on bathroom doors? Those are easy to unlock from the outside.

But more importantly, you need to be safe from him.

It is so difficult without having the correct meds. But they can be discontinued as you develop a routine that he becomes comfortable with.

🆘
Get a second opinion.
Change the locks so you can get in with a key.
Do not disturb him the hours he wants to isolate.
Put bottled water in each room ahead of time.
Use a baby monitor in each room to check on his welfare.

Have him checked for a UTI by a urologist.

Are there any opiates in the home?

Stand strong, this behavior may pass soon. Be ready to call 911 if you are in any danger at all.

You may need to consider different locks. The type hospitals use, able to be slid across from BOTH sides of the door. I would suggest removing the locks completely, but it may be necessary for you to have a safe location.

I am wondering if he is suffering fear? Locking himself in to hide? Or if his anger is overwhelming him?

Hopefully the Seroquel starts to have a positive effect soon. Is it to smooth out his mood?

Be ready to call 911 if you suspect self-harm in any way. I think it's rare, but there are warnings for depressive thoughts when starting some
medications. As an RN, you would know more about this than I... & obviously know your DH better than any Doctor, so if things are getting out of hand, reach out for backup until things can stabilise.

Could a family member come stay with you for a few days at all?

Do you have a memory care place lined up for him? Do you have children who can help you with this?

You MUST take care of yourself first, because if there's no you, he's in a world of trouble. Think of it like being on an airplane and they tell you to put oxygen on yourself first, then help others. The same applies here.

Get your ducks in a row, and be ready to pull the trigger before a crisis hits. Preparation is everything here.

Hang in there.