hausboy
Posts: 2360
Joined: 9/5/2010 Status: offline
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I admit hugs to Red and her family. I admit.... big breath here... The entire phrase "put him in a home" should be abolished. There are decent alternatives today to homecare, and many insensitive folks just don't realize how incredibly difficult and draining it is to take care of a loved one 24/7. For years, my own mother refused to consider alternatives, she called her mother 3x a day, brought her dinner daily and medications, cleaned for her, did her finances, home repairs, bought her clothing, helped her with daily living needs. I could not believe the toll it took on her. All because of guilt. Finally, as a family, we looked at the reality. The big picture was this--my grandmother needed care and supervision around the clock. None of us could be there all the time, and she was a danger to herself. We realized that not only would SHE not want to be like this, but she would hate the thought of being a burden on her own daughter. We found a smaller assisted living that specialized in dementia (her primary diagnosis). She didn't want to go, but once in a place where she was safe, and there was less stimuli, she could finally relax. She had activities daily, 3 hot meals a day, and most importantly, lots of interaction with people, which she was not getting being home alone. My grandmother is now 99 1/2. Her dementia has progressed significantly, but we know that she is somewhere where they are taking good care of her and watching out for her. My mom got her life back--she can finally go out for a dinner, have friends over, enjoy social activities--things she couldn't do when she was a caretaker. The key for us was finding the right place. We visited about 5 different ones before we found one that took her insurance....and we felt it was a good fit. Her current place (we had to move her when the money ran out/medicaid only goes so far) has less than 20 residents, and most of the staff have been there for more than 10 years (a good sign). While my grandmother is completely out of it (in her world, it's 1908) she's at least in a happy place.
< Message edited by hausboy -- 2/12/2012 5:43:03 PM >
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