Boy, wouldn't we all love to have a crystal ball for this one!
How long has your mom been in the assisted living facility? Has she settled in well? Does she like it? If she is dissatisfied there is always the risk that a visit elsewhere will just intensify her dissatisfaction.
This change in environment might be very confusing for her. For my mother the temporary move just down the hall while they painted her room was very upsetting (though she got over it quickly when she was back in her own room.) My husband had Lewy Body Dementia and didn't seem fazed at all by staying in motels or friends' houses. As long as I was with him he was fine. You might ask the staff who know her best what their prediction is about the impact of a different environment.
Being with family and loved ones might be positive, one-on-one or a few at a time. A family reunion with lots of people might overwhelm her.
As to the trip itself -- four hours is a long time to sit in a car! Frequent stops would be good, but that means getting in and out of the vehicle a lot of times. How is her mobility? If you stop for lunch is she OK in a restaurant? Is she incontinent? If so, how will you deal with that over the length of the trip?
The answers would be different for different people in the same stage of dementia.
If family still seems important to her, and if she is still important to loved ones, what if every couple of weeks one person or couple or family makes the hour trip to visit her. If she is up to it, they could take her out to eat, or they could eat with her there. She would have both her comforting familiar environment, she wouldn't have the stress of traveling, and the loved ones would have the opportunity of seeing her in relaxed circumstances.
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How long has your mom been in the assisted living facility? Has she settled in well? Does she like it? If she is dissatisfied there is always the risk that a visit elsewhere will just intensify her dissatisfaction.
This change in environment might be very confusing for her. For my mother the temporary move just down the hall while they painted her room was very upsetting (though she got over it quickly when she was back in her own room.) My husband had Lewy Body Dementia and didn't seem fazed at all by staying in motels or friends' houses. As long as I was with him he was fine. You might ask the staff who know her best what their prediction is about the impact of a different environment.
Being with family and loved ones might be positive, one-on-one or a few at a time. A family reunion with lots of people might overwhelm her.
As to the trip itself -- four hours is a long time to sit in a car! Frequent stops would be good, but that means getting in and out of the vehicle a lot of times. How is her mobility? If you stop for lunch is she OK in a restaurant? Is she incontinent? If so, how will you deal with that over the length of the trip?
The answers would be different for different people in the same stage of dementia.
If family still seems important to her, and if she is still important to loved ones, what if every couple of weeks one person or couple or family makes the hour trip to visit her. If she is up to it, they could take her out to eat, or they could eat with her there. She would have both her comforting familiar environment, she wouldn't have the stress of traveling, and the loved ones would have the opportunity of seeing her in relaxed circumstances.
May I ask why she is so far from family?