she is more w hallucinating, shuffling to walk needs help with everything, She has lived with us for 3 years. She is very difficult and will never except that she canj T care for herself. Very frustrating. It seems like I'm the last week she is getting way worse, had her checked go UTI, which she just got over one, but no UTI. I have no help but donMt know where to start to bring help and in. Also feel guilty for even wanting to bring someone in. How do you know when you need something like hospices? She is very miserable, depressed agitated, etc. she has meds for that but nothing really helps.. thank you
If your mother still has a lot of fight in her, I suspect she isn't close to the end of life. What are her appetite, blood pressure, and body temperature like? These can be good indicators of when the end is getting near. If her stats are good, then she may have a while unless something catastrophic happens. I do wonder about the hallucinations. Hallucinations are common in earlier stages of Lewy body dementia and later stages of Alzheimer's. What does her doctor say about them? If you keep an eye on her body stats, it will give you a better idea how she is.
My mother has what appears to be vascular dementia with Alzheimer's. The latter is getting more pronounced now. Something I'm finding is that as it advances, she is caring less -- not good. She is also fighting at me less and not bossing me around as much. I guess you could say it is like she is pulling away from life more. She doesn't want to interact with people. She sleeps a lot and often just sits, looking at nothing for a long time. Still, I know she has a way to go, travelling an inch a day on the last mile.If you think you need help, then bring it in for you. Let your mother know it is for you, so maybe she won't fight at you about it. It is your home, so your call. Good luck!
Caring for a person with advanced dementia is really a job for 3 shifts of people, so I have no idea why you are resistant to getting help. I'd get as much as you can get and then some more. Caring for a person with advanced dementia can be extremely stressful.
I hope others who are more familiar with Hospice will chime in. I know that they offer great support, but, they may not also cover all of the day to day care and housework in addition to that.