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greekshambo

I need some advice

shambo
15 years ago

My 93 year old mother is in a lovely assisted living facility. She's got some friends and the staff is warm & caring. This last year, however, she's slipped more & more into dementia. There are times she's convinced that her parents live across the street and she tries to walk over to their house. Of course, the staff watches her carefully and makes sure she doesn't get past the parking lot. I've had to come down twice to get her back to her apartment.

About once a month, she'll have an aid dial her phone so she can talk to me. It's always the same story: She's stuck and she wants to go home. When I talk to her, she knows she's in her apartment but for some reason, she doesn't consider it her home. I usually just distract her by bringing up her great grandchildren or the weather or whatever.

Last night she called me again telling me she was stuck at the AL. She kept repeating that she needed to get out and move somewhere else. She started talking about how the people there weren't Christians so she needed to leave. I told her I would visit her in a few days and we could talk about it. Then I started talking about all the people that she knew there, and she agreed with me that those people were very nice and good friends. Eventually she calmed down a bit.

I've seen flashes of this paranoia in the past. Once she was convinced that the staff were all Iraqis. A couple of weeks ago she was angry because some residents think that she is younger than she really is (she's been telling residents that she's 103 instead of 93).

Is there a better way to handle these episodes? Something other than just distracting her and redirecting her thoughts? The place has a memory care unit, and I know she may eventually have to be moved there. My only reluctance is that any kind of move or change in her routine always has such a negative impact. I'd like to put off that move until it's absolutely necessary and the staff feels she's no longer able to cope with AL.

Thanks for your help.

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