When I called the 800#
I am very proud of the progress my mom has made since mid-June until about 10 days ago. From March until mid-June, my mom was not able to walk, especially pivot her left leg. At one point, she became a two person assist and after her hospital stay, even contemplating placing her in a skilled nursing facility. Thanks to Covid, plans changed and she has been able to progress at the comfort of our home.
For the past ten days, from 3pm until 9pm every night, she becomes very irritated and sits and stands non-stop. At one point last week, she took several steps without her walker, and another day she managed to move herself from the chair to the walker. This is all progress, but as her caregiver very fearful because of her cognitive challenges she is very prone to falling. If she falls, I am unable to get her up, and there is the fear she has hurt herself. I try so hard to live in her “dementia world” and gently tell her to please sit, safety is a priority. Instead, she gets agitated with me, and yes, I lose my cool as well.
Saturday evening I was so frustrated that I placed things around her in hopes she would not move, and walked out the door. I walked for a mile that evening to clear my mind and think “how can I handle this on my own”. I came back feeling a little better, but she was standing. After a few minutes, I made her go to bed, and she refused. I asked her if anything was hurting and one minute she was like yes, then the next minute no. I decided to be pro-active, and give her an antibiotic in case she had a UTI.
Once she settled, I called the #800 for the Alzheimer’s Association.
The 800# is 24/7 and a valuable resource. I called them a few years ago seeking advice for my mom’s psychosis episodes. The advice they gave me helped control them. Essentially, they advised me not to argue, and to change the conversation topic, and it worked even today. It was late Saturday evening, but was determined to seek help not only for my mom, but for my mom’s sanity.
A representative answered, and I spilled my problems to her. She listened attentively, and suggested that I speak to someone who specializes with dementia. She reassured me that a representative will call me back within the hour, and she did. She was well briefed of my situation, and ready to help. For nearly an hour, we brainstormed ideas to help my mom. I told her to rule out UTI, I started her on antibiotics, so will find out within 48 hours if that will be a temporary bandaid to this solution. I also suggested to her, maybe I should change up my mom’s evening schedule. Because of covid, I am home non-stop. Maybe I need to place her in her hospital bed at least 3 to 4 times a week for a hour evening hours, so I can workout. The representative liked that idea. We also talked about sundowning, so I requested that she send additional information to me.
Within minutes, in my Gmail inbox, I received a summary of our conversation as well as attachments to help me navigate the challenges. As a caregiver, I cannot emphasize enough how valuable these resources are. I get excited receiving these attachments, because it allows me to think outside the box to deal with my mom’s sudden behavioral changes.
I highly encourage you to call the Alzheimer’s Association’s 24/7 hotline number at 800-272-3900. It has helped me on two occasions, and I am sure it will help someone you know. I know have that number on my speed-dial for future “meltdown” moments.