alz2011
Caring for my mom Member since May 20, 2011Mom moved into Assisted Living in Sept 2008. She went around to look at numerous places and made the final choice herself. She signed all the lease papers etc, so I thought she was pleased with her decision.The weekend before she was to move she got very ill and was in the hospital for 4 days and then a skilled nursing home for 2 weeks to recover her strength. I am convinced it was a result of giving up her home of 40 years and the place where my father passed (with hospice assistance) in 2000.
For a year prior to her move she was hallucinating about people, looking in the basement, crawl space, not eating waiting for them to show up etc. The event that forced her hand was when she went looking for her kids, and fell flat on her back at neighbors down the street. She couldn't get up by herself as she has 2 artificial knees. We started some medication and that seemed to help, but she was falling more at home, and wasn't eating.
For 2 1/2 years she was fine in AL, but again started refusing to leave her apartment even for meals. She clearly needed additional help so we moved her to the Memory Support unit in February 2011. She has done great there. They keep them active and engaged. She has gained weight and interacts better with family. She is slipping each month from the disease, but otherwise her health is great.