Where to find an upscale in-patient care "hospital" for my uncle with Alzheimer's in the Chicago area?

There is a new treatment for Alzheimers. It is a drug trial with insulin nasal spray since the brain can't metabolize sugar. They are having good results. The web site is archneur.jamanetwork. Please do not give up. Coconut oil because of the medium chain transfatty acids is also a treatment to put it into remission - 3 tbsp per day. It will mix with pudding or with yogurt. it also tastes quite O.K. I make chocolate coconut candy with it. Mix coconut oil confectioners sugar and cocao (the natural raw form of cocoa) roll it in crushed pecans or coconut. Great candy. If you want to stay healthier, mix the cocoa, coconut oil and raisins in a food processor, then roll in nuts or coconut.

Mike: Why can't he come home now with 24/7 care? Pam mentioned that he's a ward of the court; will the guardian ad litem agree to that?

P.S. Since the current care facility has your Uncle in a lock-down I am 99 percent sure he needs it. These caregivers see and cope with his unique condition 24 hours a day. Since your uncle appears to be in good health and moving about it is the right decision to get him into an excellent facility that will work to mitigate the Alzhimers and not simply cope with the Alzheimers. It can't be said enough, Alzheimer's victims CAN NOT assess their own requirements. That is the responsibility of a caring family. Good luck!

If he has the money, do everything you can to see that it's done. There is no cure right now, but there are many ways to mitigate and improve the suffering of Alzheimer's patients. Lock down and/or 24/7 care is a necessary evil. I think it is preferable to get this in a facility that is designed and staffed to provide this care, as suggested by maggiemarshall. A single caregiver, unless you find an extraordinary one, cannot provide the friendship, patience, and activities to support a single Alzheimer's patient. Nor do I believe you can pay a single person enough to accomplish these critical requirements. Only a family member that is willing to spend 24/7 can accomplish this.

You hands are tied because he is a ward of the court. Even the Guardian cannot move him unless the Judge approves it. There is no such thing as an "upscale" lock down unit, they are very bare to keep things from being thrown or knocked over. Sorry you are still fighting this battle. I had hoped by now the family would come together and work towards preserving the empire that he built.

Lexington Nursing Home in Schaumburg, IL. My mom was there for two months convalescing from a broken hip. I can't say ENOUGH good things about patient care here. While she wasn't on the Alzheimer's Floor (3rd), she has dementia; I was considering admitting her full-time, so was given a tour.

The rooms are lovely. They have room for their own TV and a bureau for their clothing and photographs from home. They're semi-private, but quite adequate. The facility is light and bright, adequately staffed and VERY SAFE for Alzheimer's patients. Every morning the person helping your uncle get dressed will write down what he's wearing. They check, I believe, once an hour to make sure he's not in someone else's room or wandering inappropriately. The elevator to the third floor is armed with a pass code so patients can't get off the floor. Every patient wears an alarm bracelet that will sound if that patient SHOULD get down the elevator and attempt to go out the front doors. The nurses' stations on all floors are ten feet from the elevators.

They alarm the beds if a patient is not to be up walking alone...they alarm the wheelchairs. The third floor (if I remember correctly) has a huge dining room just to the left of the nurses' station with a 6' big screen. Patients spend a great deal of time there.

They have a minimum of eight activities daily for everyone. They make sure that the patients GO to these by retrieving them from their rooms or hallways. They have concerts, magic shows, etc., etc. on the other two floors (the 3rd too) and always "invite" people from the Memory Unit, as they call it.

They WILL FIND ways to keep your uncle busy and occupied. When I visited, one lady was sitting at her own table by the nurses' station folding clothes. It was something that gave her peace. They handed her a stack; when she folded those, they gave her another one -- which she joyfully folded as well. The tour guide told me they had her doing that for an hour every day to keep her mind busy.

They have several "family gathering rooms" for when patients' family visits; games; etc., etc.

I can't imagine a better place for a loved one with memory issues. If I have to, I will put her there and not worry a bit. The price? Somewhere around $8,000 a month. If funds run out, they guarantee they will keep them on Medicaid.

There is no cure for Alzheimer's Disease. If that's what your uncle has, they may be able to slow down or mitigate his symptoms, but he won't get better. If his delusions and dementia are medicine related? There may be a chance he will greatly improve. But Alzheimer's? I don't think so.

Since they have a number of facilities and I certainly cannot vouch for any others, please note I'm talking about their facility on Roselle Road in Schaumburg.