Life With Dad: Adjustments....

This is the alarm that Dad had attached to him when he first went into the nursing home.  Since he was extremely "active" and mobile, they would attach this to him so that when he would get up out of his chair, the alarm would sound and they would know that he was "on the prowl"!  Dad became wheelchair-bound after about five days in the nursing home due to over-medication.  He had physical therapy until he could get strength back in his legs. 

This would be the bag of peanut M&M's that Dad kept in his pocket!!  Proof that they WILL melt if you keep them in a warm place.  He loves sweets and would put them in his overall pockets.  He actually did eat these even though they were a little bit melted.  He carries many things in his overall pockets....flashlights, wallet, sweets, knife, and whatever he else he hasn't misplaced somewhere!

Once a loved one with dementia is admitted to a nursing home, it is a continual battle of getting medications adjusted, and also getting the loved one used their new surroundings.  With the memory problems that come with dementia, we found it easier to just agree with Dad when he would talk about things.  He still thought he was in the hospital and that the doctor would be in to tell him that he could go home.  We used that to our advantage by telling him that when the doctor said he was "okay" to go home, then he would get out.  My Mom had a hard time telling him these little "white lies" at first.  I had to remind her that he most likely would not remember what she told him anyway.  This picture shows Dad in the second room that he has occupied. They moved him closer to the nurses station so that they could keep a closer eye on him.

Notice in the picture above how his mouth on the left side turns downward?  The doctor was certain that Dad had suffered some mini-strokes, although we never got the MRI done on his brain to prove that.  They tried to sedate him due to his anxiety, but even with sedation he became too anxious to finish the MRI.  Some of the medications that he takes have a risk of causing mini-strokes, but they also help with his anxiety and agitation.

This shows Mom at the ballgame of my oldest son, Alex, on the night that Dad became so disoriented and agitated while she was gone.  It was hard for Mom to really enjoy the game because of her concern for her husband.  This was taken on Saturday, and on Monday we took him to the hospital, and on Tuesday he was admitted to the nursing  home.  Tip #1: check with your parents to see if they have purchased nursing home insurance.  Fortunately, my parents had invested in a policy when they were in their 50's, and it was a great investment.  Once my Dad went into the nursing home, Mom didn't have to pay the premium any longer.  The majority of the monthly cost is paid by this insurance.  This has been a huge relief for my Mom.  The first few months we did check through the billing from the nursing home to make sure that there weren't any unnecessary charges (and that did pay off since we did find a few mistakes).  I am not saying that they intentionally added extra charges, but just like any bill you receive, you should check it for accuracy.

This picture shows Dad playing with a strap from his wheelchair lift.  These types of things would keep him "occupied" when he could not walk around.  There were times when we went to see him and he thought that his wheelchair was his mower.  One time I had to pretend to plug in the charging cord from his electric razor into his wheelchair as the battery charger for his mower!  Anything to keep him satisfied.

Once you get a loved one put into a nursing home, it doesn't mean that you do not have to worry about them any more.  Above you see my Mom, sister Robin, and me with our gowns on when the nursing home thought that Dad had Scabies.  Scabies is a very itchy skin condition that it caused by mites, and skin-to-skin contact from someone who is already infected.  Dad was tested and after the doctor confirmed the diagnosis, he was confined to his room.  When we went in to see him, we had to wear the gowns and latex gloves.  He was not allowed to leave his room except to take a bath and then a prescription lotion was applied to his body and left on for about eight hours.  This was done twice during his isolation time.  He became extremely bored during this week, as he was used to roaming around the facility.

Next up....a rash on his leg!  We never really found the culprit for this one...best anyone could decide was that the detergent irritated his skin from his socks.  So, a reminder to you all....just because they are not at home any longer does not mean that you can relax!  My Mom receives calls quite often that Dad has taken a tumble and scraped up his knees or was not actually injured, but he continues to fall periodically.  It is always a little bit frightening when you see on the caller ID that it is the nursing home.  My poor Mom....it used to be worrying about getting that late night phone call about her kids, and now it is concern about getting the call about her mom or her husband in the nursing home.  I will leave you with a video of Dad out imitating the ducks at the nursing home.  Thank you for following and supporting my family in this journey.