Mom has had urinary infections twice through all this. The doctor said that can have an effect on their mental state.
As far as the CAT scan, I've been surprised since I've been reading about all this stroke stuff how many elderly people have either mini strokes or mini brain bleeds, so if she was confused maybe that's what the ER doc was thinking. I'm glad everything came out okay and it was just an infection.
I certainly understand why they had Mom on seizure meds but I'm glad she's off them now.
Mom was pretty agitated today and the nurse said the pill wasn't seeming to have much effect. She wasn't anywhere near as bad as last week, though. She was extremely confused and thought she was at the county fair when I got there. She was confusing the daylights out of the other patients because she kept telling them we were all at the fair. :>)
I spent a couple of hours there and she was pretty confused the entire time about present time but not about things that happened a long time ago. The agitation got better.
I do see what the nurse meant the other day when she said she was a "presence on the ward." We were sitting at a table in the main lobby type area and other patients wandered over and joined us so that for the last hour and half, we had probably half or more of the patients gathered around while Mom told them stories about growing up on the farm, how she met my dad, how to slaughter a hog, how to cut tobacco, the way her father and the other farmers would help each other get big tasks done like shucking corn or building a barn, etc. She's a pretty good story teller and very funny.
Prayers for my mom please!
She's the life of the party!!! Every place needs a good funny storyteller. I hate to snicker but..."we're all at the fair" LOL
One thing that annoys me--is how medical people throw all kinds of info at people, especially older folks, with technical terms etc, and then accuse them of being 'confused'. give me a ---ing break. But I'm also annoyed at 'some people' who have certain medical conditions and won't even get a grip on basic terminology that pertains to their illness. But I digress.
Hoping for progress in the coming days.
Hart, I remember the doctors telling me that the psyche drugs usually need 3 to 5 weeks to build up in the body to have their full effect. Hopefully, each day is bringing your mom to a better place.
It's so hard to say with Mom, Stormy, because she'll have a good day or two and then a bad one and that's been the case from the beginning. When I was there Monday, she was doing really well. No agitation at all and she knew she was in a hospital. The next day, she thought she was at the Prince William County Fair all day. I was seeing some moments of good memory the other day so it looks like the memory meds might be starting to kick in some. She remembered going by the Manassas Museum with my sister and cousin a couple of weeks ago and remembered details about the visit. That was kind of amazing.
We talked with her doctor yesterday. They're going to be discharging her from the hospital early next week but we're hoping she'll be admitted to the rehab center at the same hospital. We also talked to him about some nursing homes where she could continue to see him. I think Debra and I made it pretty clear we don't want her sent home again unless the agitation, aggression and confusion are under control. We want her to be at home but not like it was before. We just don't have the resources to deal with it.
Oh Diane, what a long and bumpy journey this continues to be. I'm so sorry!
I'll continue to keep you all in my prayers and will be sending lots of good thoughts your way. Elder care is really hard, no matter what, but having to do it long-distance (or travel back and forth) adds another level of stress to an already stressful situation.
Hang in there. (((((Hugs))))) Barb
This kind of thing is so hard. I hope that you find a nice rehab place for her where she can see her MD. Thinking of you driving all of those miles.............
Diane, Still here, still praying along with all here. Love what your Mom, God bless her, said and what Sally reitterated, We are all at the fair. Pam
Thoughts and prayers.
Recovery is still very much possible.
This message was edited Sep 8, 2009 10:43 AM
You know, it is a lovely thought to be at the fair. My Mom woke up a week before she died, early early one morning, and yelling that she was late for a wedding. I bet she was really happy and had a really good time....
Aww, Happy. That's nice. Thanks so much for your thoughts and prayers, everyone. Just to explain about the fair - she volunteered there for many years in the area where the sewing entries were judged, helping keep the entries straight and doing whatever the judges needed. She also entered a lot of her own things and has a huge stack of ribbons she won. She made a lot of good friends there and had a lot of fun. It was a big part of our lives for two weeks every summer during my childhood and beyond.
I think she'll be discharged any day now. I've been running all over the place looking at places because they refused to accept her at the hospital's rehab unit. I found a couple of places that are dedicated dementia facilities, which seem to be the best by far. One is in Fairfax, but someone else took the room they had last night, and the other is up here in Strasburg. That would be great for me, because she'd only be about 25 minutes away. Debra is balking a bit at Strasburg so I guess I'll see whether she comes up with another solution today.
Mom is doing better with the agitation and she's having days where she's not so confused. Physically she's weaker because she hasn't been getting much in the way of exercise. We'll be able to get her back into a regular schedule of physical therapy once we get her settled in a new facility.
I'll keep you all posted. We should know something, in fact may even have her moved, in the next couple of days.
Thanks for the update. I've been praying for you all. It's not an easy thing to take care of our parents. HUGS
Yes Hart thanks for the update. I think about you often. Holly
Hang in there, Hart. Things will get better. I'm with Happy, the Fair seems a nice place to be.
It will be good to have her settled Diane. I can imagine that it's been a really stressful process though trying to find the right setting. Hugs.....
Well, we got her moved to Strasburg yesterday and, like Debra said to me yesterday evening, I don't think we could have found a better place. She walked in and said, "This place is beautiful," saw her room and said the same thing. She loves her nice big bathroom too. LOL
The clincher may have been the fancy massage and heat layback chair they put in her room. She enjoyed sitting in that very much while we got her things moved in.
She was a little agitated before we left yesterday, wanting us to hurry up and get our things and "get the kids ready" so we could leave. But after we left, she settled down and spent the evening walking around and chatting with the other residents. This morning, she was happily cleaning their kitchen, which tells me she was feeling right at home and doing normal at home things. I figure within days, the chef will be answering to his new boss, Irene. LOL
The people there are so sweet and loving with her and she was just eating that up. And speaking of eating, she actually ate an entire sandwich last night. I haven't seen her eat that much at one sitting since the stroke and the past couple of weeks, we've had a hard time getting her to eat anything at all.
We were told to expect at least two weeks of pretty bad agitation because of the move. I was stunned last night when they told me how well she was doing.
It's also such a big plus to have her so close. It's only about 25 minutes from here. Such a switch from at least 2-3 hours one way.
We got her a nice, private room that has a good amount of space, sunlight from a large window and even has cherry bedroom furniture similar to what she had in her bedroom at home. Plus that whizbang chair. I think the warming feature will be nice because she's so cold all the time and the chair will be cozy.
Oh, this is interesting. From time to time for the past few weeks we thought she was having hallucinations because she'd see people, especially babies and children, who weren't there. The doctor said this is actually good news, that they're not hallucinations but memory fragments and that means bits of memory are starting to come back.
Another feature I really like at the Strasburg place is a large, nicely landscaped outside area the residents can access any time they want. It's perfectly secure and has nice chairs and shaded tables where they can sit and sidewalks where they can walk around and enjoy the flowers. I just hated that she could never get outside at the hospital and didn't get out much even at home.
It's such a relief to know she's in a safe place where she can actually be content and happy. More importantly, these people know all the ins and outs of dementia and will be able to help her reach any potential she has to recover. She has a very good chance of the dementia getting better if it's only from the brain damage from the stroke with not alzheimers mixed in.
Oh Hart, I'm so happy and thankful that the move went so smoothly!
"It's such a relief to know she's in a safe place where she can actually be content and happy."
What a wonderful report to read this morning! I'm glad she's near enough for you to get up to see her easily... and the facility really does sound wonderful... so glad to hear she'll be able to get out and enjoy the pretty grounds, also!
Critter, I didn't realize until a couple of days ago how close I was to you when I was in Leesburg all these weeks. One of the nurses' aides said it was only about 20 minutes away.
Even if I'd had time, though, I don't think you would have wanted me around your newborn with all time I've spent in hospitals the past few weeks.
Isn't the outside area nice? We looked several others that had them too. I'm glad these facilities are putting some thought into allowing their residents to get outside. All of them also had little raised (waist height) beds were residents could plant tomatoes or whatever they wanted and do a little gardening.
Hart -- that is fantastic news. What a rare find. I want to move myself in!
I'm so glad that you are pleased with the new accommodations. What a relief. It must be so good to have her in the hands of people who really know what they are doing and to have her someplace where she can settle in and stay awhile. And how great that it is so much closer to you. 2-3 hours is just too exhausting.
Good news Hart, Get her a really soft lap throw to lay over her when she is in that chair and she will be in heaven. Sounds like this might be a very good spot for her. Having and outside area to wander around in is very good.
So glad to read that. I sure hope it all goes smoother than expected.
I recently read a book (the man who mistook his wife for a hat) and from what I read, those Fair memories and ones of people may be very pleasant for her. She deserves it to pay back for the agitation! Just pieces of memory getting fired up.
glad to hear you like where she is right now.
As I told you, my friend...you made my day with this news...I'm speechless!! Big hugs to you both
Oh, happy day. I'm so glad she has a place to feel content as well as secure. What a peace of mind that is for you. WOOHOO!!
Hart, This will surely make your life easier. It sounds like this facility just might be the very thing she needs. Praying for good results.
hart, can you tell us if this is an individual location or a place that's part of a "group?"
Sally, that's a terrific book. I read it years ago and should reread it. Yes, it's part of a group, mostly in Virginia. Scroll down here for a list of their locations. The ones that have reflections in the name are dedicated dementia/alzheimers. The others I think all have wings for dementia.
http://www.greenfieldal.com/locations/locations.html
It's not the fanciest one we looked at. The one in Fairfax called Arden Courts is also dedicated dementia/alzheimers. It was beautiful and someone had put a lot of thought into the design. But it was bigger and more expensive. I liked that this one is smaller and I was very impressed with the staff in Strasburg.
We made sure to bring her throw, Holly. I also crocheted her a nice, warm shawl in her favorite color (blue) last week to help keep her warm. They keep the temperature about 4-5 degrees warmer at the place in Strasburg than it was in the hospital so that's bound to help too.
4-5 degrees warmer? No wonder she was cold. I went to the website. IT looks like a lovely facility. You sure got your crochet hook out fast!
It wasn't that cold in the hospital, they kept it at about 72. It's just that she's cold all the time. I took her outside yesterday and we basked in the sun for a while. She really liked that.
The shawl certainly has some mistakes in it - I whipped it together as fast as I could. She loves homemade stuff so I knew it would be a special treat as well as something to help keep her warm.
They told us both at the hospital and here that it's common for the older people to be cold, but I'm taking her to the doctor Tuesday and I'm going to ask him about it too.
Hart, If they are giving your mom any medications to lower her blood pressure, that will cause unusual coldness. I'll bet she loved her new shawl.
From my experience (mom lived with me 10 years until she died in her 80s, father-in-law in mid-90s visits frequently), many elderly like it a lot warmer than the rest of us find comfortably. My FIL would keep our house at 75 or higher if he could, and he is healthy as a horse.
Well stormyla thank you! I'm on blood pressure lowering medicine and I'm always cold. Couldn't figure it out. I'll tell DH. Maybe he'll think I'm a little less crazy. :-)
You're welcome Doss! LOL, it's a good thing you live in a mild climate. But then I suppose the air conditioning bothers you.
Happy, a gerentologist once explained to me that as folks get very elderly, their resources naturally diminish. It takes more of their body's energy to digest their food and they get cold while this is happening. This also accounts for their steadily declining appetites and sleepiness after meals.. It also takes more energy for them to do anything as compared to how rapidly their bodies make energy. Therefore, if they are doing any activity, the calories that are being burned to accomplish that activity are robbing the calories that would normally be burned to keep up their body temperatures. Exercizing after a meal can often make the eldery pass out. The same is true if it is too warm. It's one of the reasons that a disproportionate # of the elderly die in extreme heat and cold. Often they don't feel the extreme heat and dehydrate, but their bodies also can't produce enough energy to cool themselves or in winter to warm themselves.
If they become ill such as with Pneumonia, the energy required for their bodies to fight the infection can be wiped out by the energy required to keep their involuntary body functions working. It's why the older we get, the longer any recoveries will take. What a pleasant thought. My 86 year old sailing buddy still gets hot flashes!!
Since my thyroid quit working a number of years ago I do not tolerate cold well, and mild heat does not bother me. I'm fine at 75-85*f as long as the humidity is not ridiculous, above that slows me down a bit, but who splits their firewood in August. The only food that ever made me want a nap was/is roast turkey or hash brownies. LOL Ric
Washed down with a little Boone's Farm no doubt!!!
Ric, you haven't reached that age yet. Holly insists on keeping you busy and young.
Na, Probably Pagen Pink Ripple when I was in Jursey! LOL Ric
Maybe those of us who experienced the mind expanding 60's will be diagnosed with our own particular form of delayed dementia.
I couldn't catch up with all the posts but wanted to say I hope your mom is doing better now, Hart. I know it is tough taking care of parents. I am fortunate I don't have to do that now but I saw my mother do it for hers and I know what you're going through.