My DH suffers from this type of dementia, caused by TIA's and many minor strokes which we are unaware of. He has been in a couple of NH's over the past nine months and they put him out. He has been in a psychiatric hospital since January and through the diligence of the psychiatrist, he did a complete turnaround. He has been eligible to be discharged since April but the original NH doesn't want him back, so wrong! He has had some episodes which is normal with the type illness. He is mostly a pleasure to be with, casring, witty, etc. I cannot find a NH to take him (with little help from the social worker or NH coordinator) and I am at my wit's end. He wants to get out of this prison-like facility and all say he doesnt belong there. I find that the NH's are primarily interested in the almighty dollar and looking for pay patients. He is on Medicaid. Just had a terrible experience with one place where he was promised a bed which became available, that no one else would get that bed, tell your husband the good news,and he was a day or two away from it, when I was told it was given to the owner's father-in-law. They have too many Medicaid beds in use and I am sure they want to reduce that to the required number, so what a shock and terrible experience for me and my DH and not told the truth. I must get him out of there, but where??? Anyone have such experiences?
I have no experience with this, but I know many of our readers will be able to help. I changed the name of the discussion, so people will know exactly what you are looking for. If no one has any suggestions, I'll call my social worker for you.
I do know that some nursing facilities do not take dementia patients, could that be the problem? I looked into one facility that had independent living, nursing care and memory care. They said that if my husband had Alz., he could not live in my apartment in the independent living area, that he'd be required to live in the Memory Care unit. That sounded so wrong...but it was THEIR rule...... so be it. But I want to find a place like Marsh has. He has the best of both worlds.
HLK can you find a dementia only ALF in your area. My husband is in one and the care is wonderful as all the staff is trained in dealing with dementia patients. With empty beds more facilities will accept medicaid
HLK, I was going to email you privately to see how the placement of your husband was going. Since we have some shared experiences and live in the same general area, please email me and I can offer you some resources to try to get him placed. One of the major hurdles I had regarding placement for my DH was that he was a flight risk and had exhibited aggressive behavior and restlessness BEFORE he was put on the right meds. The facilities didn't want to take the chance even though his behaviors were successfully controlled. Fortunately he's home, behaviors controlled and stablized.
To further my remarks, some Assisted Living Facilities do not have the security systems in place to prevent the residents from running away (ankle bracelets, locked exterior doors, 24 hour people watching the doors, etc. It was explained to me that if an Alz. person ran away, they would be liable and their insurance companies were not willing to assume the risks. People sue the nursing facilities for so many things these days, they're hesitate to take risks with dementia patients unless they have a secure wing and trained people on board who understand how to deal with them.
I knew Lynn would need to be in a facility that not only specialized in AD, but was equipped to handle the more aggressive patients. They have a whole floor for just dementia patients. It is a secure floor, the elevator has no buttons, it is run by a key that is in the nursing station. I knew he was safe there. I was lucky in that this NH has 80% of their beds dedicated to medicaid patients. I wasn't ready to place him, but it was just to good to be true. I guess sometimes God answers our prayer before we even know how to put words to them. I hope your prayers will be answered too! Please keep us posted.
Just re-read my post before Nikki's. Isn't it odd how we can manage everything that comes up with our spouses without any training whatsoever. Just the same as when we first became parents and they sent us home from the hospital with that little bitty baby and no instruction manual.
Thanks to all you new friends who have responded to my plea! I am open to any suggestions but of course they must be in a fairly nearby area. LFL and I live in quite close proximity so she is being most helpful and has given me some contacts. What we are all experiencing together is heartache, to say the least, but being in touch with you all and and sharing our experiences together, is so heartwarming and comforting, knowing there is someone(s) to turn to!