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Moving A Loved One
With Alzheimer's
By
Beverly Moore |
Question:
How will I know when to consider a move to an assisted
living or nursing home for the relative I am caring for?
Answer:
There are two causes for considering long term care outside
the home for the person with dementia. One reason may be the
inability to provide the level of care needed; the other is
when the person with dementia no longer feels safe at home.
The caregiver may develop ill health, become tired and find
care-giving consistently burdensome. Perhaps the care
recipient has progressed in the dementing illness, or they
develop a physical illness, making care too strenuous or
medically complicated.
Let’s look at the second cause; that the person with
dementia no longer feels safe at home. They usually show the
family they do not feel emotionally safe by their behavior.
They may show fear when they are not in a structured
environment, preferring a day program to staying home. At
the day program the person is content, engaging with others;
at home they are restless, irritable. They may start to
wander, looking for a more familiar place, no longer
recognizing home or perhaps even their family members. When
things are not familiar, people become anxious. A move to a
dementia unit in an assisted living residence or a nursing
home may be just what the person needs to be content.
Families often resist acknowledging either of these causes
as indicators for a move. They want to care for the person
at home and they deny their exhaustion and the burden of
care. When families realize it is a gift to the person with
dementia to relieve their fear by providing them a more
secure environment, the decision to move is easier. My
family member was fretful, crying much of the day until she
was moved to a dementia unit. There she has thrived, smiles
much more, and has even resumed old hobbies with the help of
the activities director. |
About The Author
Beverly Moore is president of Sweet Grapes, Inc. and
StilMee™ The leader in Alzheimer coaching. You may email her
at StilMee@comcast. net or call her at (617) 233-1145. You
may also visit her web site at www.StilMee.com. Beverly’s
book Matters of the Mind…and the Heart is available on line
@ www.Advantagebookstore.com. Five dollars from each book
sale goes into the StilMee Scholarship Fund serving low
income families with coaching help.
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