![]() The fancy medical term is "anosognosia" but what it boils down to, is that the dementia means their brain is damaged in such a way, that they cannot understand there is anything wrong with them. What seems like denial and stubbornness, or a refusal to accept the condition and help, is usually part of the disease. My mother, who is also somewhere in middle stage Alzheimer's, was also adamant that she needed no help and was fine at home. I can understand your concerns, but suggest you speak to the manager/ward nurse/nursing supervisor about your concerns. It's not the 1950s anymore and nobody wants to use the heavy sedative drugs if they don't have to. I did want to say that it's possible the care home won't be as bad as you think, and it's unlikely your mother would be so upset that she would be in a constant state of sedation. Failing that, I'd probably get somebody to go in and assist. I do wonder if you asked the staff, if they'd be willing to help with a call at a scheduled time. I don't have brilliant ideas about how to Skype or FaceTime with your mother, other than what joolzt mentioned. Your distress is very clear in your post. I'm very sorry to hear about the situation with your mother. Josephine, if nobody has said it, welcome to Talking Point. Maybe even one of the carer's at your mum's residence would be interested in making a bit of cash outside their regular work hours. Your mum's social worker may be able to recommend a firm if you can't find one on the net. Some carer services can provide support in 15 min slots, maybe you could hire them. Maybe you could find someone near your mum who could visit her at prearranged times and help her Skype you for a small fee? Or there may be a charity near your mum who could volunteer to help? Or maybe a tech savvy schoolkid who wants to earn some pocket money? I help my mum talk to my brother via Facetime. I live near my mum but she understands me better when she can see me.* I found a simple video caller for the elderly on Amazon, it's called the SeeSpeak Easy Video Phone, but it seems permanently out of stock, so I tracked the manufacturer's website and it was out of stock there too, so maybe they aren't making them any more. I've had a brief search and not found anything but thought it worth asking if / how others have managed to tackle this issue. Has anyone found a device that can make it easier for an elderly person to make / receive a video call? It would be lovely to stay more in contact during this difficult time. However I doubt if the staff will be able to monitor her and she is likely to touch the screen of the tablet and disconnect the call. It would be lovely to carry on being able to have calls when she's in the home. I live 100 miles away and have found that she calms down when we've had Skype calls. ![]() She has mid stage Alzheimer's and I fear that she is going to be very unhappy and as she suffers from mood swings there's unfortunately a good chance that they will have to sedate her which breaks my heart. I am so sad as after a year of trying to keep my Mum in a home with a live in carer with my Dad (who also has dementia) we've decided that she's going to have to go into a home as she won't accept someone living in her house.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |