Within the last week and a half, police here twice, once a fall and then thought someone was in the house and left to go to a neighbor she doesn’t know at midnight. I haven’t slept in 4 days and dreading the night...literally up all night. I now sleep here.
Once she gets to a place in time when she worked NOTHING will distract her, cannot redirect her and she becomes agitated. I have lost count as to how many different meds I have tried on her. She is in hospice for Alzheimer's and DVTS. It's 1:30 a.m. (early for her) but she finally fell asleep. I am a retried nurse, ironically my specialty was Geriatrics, Alzheimer's. Each day it is becoming more and more difficult to deal with her illnesses but I promised her I would never put her in a nursing home. So here I am, thanking God for each day but also praying he gives me patience and strength to keep going. It's very hard to live like this but I chose this path and I have 3 sisters, two who are nurses, too. But they don't want to take care of her and don't even come to see her. So, when I said nursing home, do it. When it becomes difficult and your health and sanity are at risk, do it. Put her in a home. You won't be stressed out when you visit her, you will enjoy and cherish the time you have left and won't grow to resent her, because, really, she isn't the same person she was before this cruel disease took over her mind.
I have told my family I'm leaving explicit instructions to be placed in a home if I get dementia. It is a very difficult road you choose when becoming the caregiver for a loved one. My mom has been with me for the last 7yrs. She has good days but of late more bad days. She's been bedridden for a year. I know it's been hard on her and she's not the same person she used to be. On her good days she jokes around, dances with her arms and is good but come nightfall it is something else.
I love her dearly and I will continue to take care of her until God calls her home. My mom is 94 yrs old.