Be aware that a person with Alzheimer's disease may need help with some basic activities that go on in the hospital. She may not be able to find the bathroom or realize that she needs help while there; it is best if she not go alone. She may not know how to use the call button or remember that it is there. She may not remember to follow dietary restrictions or know how to fill out the menu. She might need help eating. For reasons like these it is best if the person with Alzheimer's has someone with him at the hospital as much as possible.
It is a good idea to speak with the nurse about the needs of the person in your care.
If the person with Alzheimer's is well enough to get up and walk around be careful that he not wander and get lost. Again, the best way to keep him safe is to keep him under supervision at all times. It is during the night that people with Alzheimer's often need the most support. You may need to consider hiring help for the wee hours if no one is able to stay with the person overnight.
Check to see that medications for Alzheimer's are still being administered, unless there is a medical reason to discontinue them. While they may not be a priority in terms of the acute illness that brought the person to the hospital, they are important for continued Alzheimer's care.
NOTE. Remember, normal hospital procedures may feel like physical and emotional assaults to a person with Alzheimer's disease.
Linda and Gods Grace are right on target. I also have been there and done that 3 times with my husand. One in the hospital and 2 in the emergency room. You must learn to be extremely strong and stand up for their rights and yours! This takes practice, but you can and must do it. I stopped tests no one had told me about (they said they asked him when I left at midnight to go home and shower after 24 hours). They left trays of food for a man who could not feed himself when I left to go to the bathroom, and a hamburger and frys at that. In the emegency room they kept doing test they called "protocol" for no reason until I said I'm leaving, where do I sign! Please all of you get an advocate for yourself right now before you need one. There are people who will play the role for less than nursing 24/7. They just Advocate. Get a volunteer support team formed now that you can call on later. Ask friends, church members, people from you work, or the Council on Aging for help. Don't try to do everything alone. It is way too difficult. And yes, most nursing staff in emergency rooms and in the hospital have no training on how to handle dementia patients. So keep your loved one safe yourself.
joyg has received 1 hug for this comment
Hugs By God's Grace
I have found the hospital staff not cooperative. They are too busy to take the care. During my father's illness they called and requested we pay someone to sit at night with him. We could not afford that. I had to go and sleep in a chair in his room to keep him safe during the night, every night. I also had a full time job to go to each day. I find this disgusting for what is paid to stay in a hospital. Why do we care so little for patients in a hospital stay that the patient cannot be given the care necessary? I learned and when my mother who also has AD had a 13 hour stay for surgery on her pacer I was with her constantly. The answer cannot be to always expect the family to pay the horribly high rate of a night nurse, or that the family knows how to deal with this. There are few options for the person with no family or who is too poor to pay for extra care. I agree with previous post. It is a very big issue. My father's care was horrible as a result of the hospital staff not dealing with his AD. I was treated like a pain to them but I got him taken care of. There are no volunteers for this. Very discouraging that hospitals are so poorly equipped for this.
LindaSD has received 2 hugs for this comment
Hugs joyg, By God's Grace
Been there, done that with both my parents. My experience has been that the staff is co-operative because they are not able to provide full care to Alz patients for many reasons. Limited training, heavy patient load and quite honestly, the attitude of indifference toward the patient make it extremely necessary to have someone knowledgeable at bedside around the clock. Failure to communicate info between changing staff makes repetition from family a necessity, unfortunately. I lost track of the number of times I had to remind staff,1. Mom has severe Alz and pills must be crushed. 2.Dad cannot ambulate on his own with Alz and rheumatoid arthritis. 3. Feeding is necessary. 4.If you want an answer, ask us.The list goes on and on. It never ceases to amaze me.I guess that's why it is called "practicing medicine". Staff is "certified". You and I are "certifiable". Discouraging, sometimes, but when you care, you must be there!!
By God's Grace has received 1 prayer for this comment
Prayers joyg