Mom is not cooperating with caregivers. She can't be alone and we hired 24 hr help to stay with her. We've only had the help for 3 days now and my brother has received a call from the agency every day. He said this is turning into more work.
Has anyone had any luck with some type of meds or cannibis products to help manage unfavorable behaviors from patient?
1 Answer
Helpful Newest
First Oldest
First
Yes, my mom is 95 with Alzheimer's. When I placed her in an AL facility in 2015 at the age of 90, she would be uncooperative. They put her on an anti-anxiety medication and Melatonin for sleeping. However, when she nearly died of severe dehydration and contracted COVID in April she declined rapidly. After being released from the hospital, she was taken to a rehab facility. When my husband and I would "window visit" we watched her take a couple of swings at the caregivers. I was so embarrassed and apologized to them profusely. When she could no longer be at the rehab facility because Medicare would only allow a certain amount of time there, we looked for a new facility and placed her in their memory care unit. At that point, she had hospice care and they told me the facility had complained about my mom's agitation and stubbornness so the hospice doctor recommended putting her on a very low dosage of medication which would also help her get a good night sleep as she was also falling in the middle of the night. I was very upset and concerned about them putting her on that type of medication because I didn't want them giving it to her unnecessarily (she was allowed to have the medication up to 4x a day) just so they wouldn't have to deal with her - I didn't want her to be in la la land. So I decided to consent to the medication and kept a close eye on her because I would have had them take her off it if I noticed she appeared heavily sedated. Thankfully, it was very beneficial for all of us. My mom would sleep through the night and we all know that getting a good night sleep plays a huge role in our moods. Also, they usually just give her the "before bedtime" dose. Only occasionally, have they given her another dose during the day - she has never had all four doses allowed. She is doing well and the "unfavorable behaviors" as you called it have improved. One more thing, when they gave me the name of the medication, I did not consent until I researched it. While I was on the phone with the hospice coordinator, my husband did a quick search on his iPhone and gave me the "ok" sign and I consented at that moment over the phone. It's a very good idea to research things first. I know someone else who didn't and their loved one died because it turned out the medication that was given was not suitable for an elderly person. I hope that helps and good luck!