I just read a post by Monika regarding problems her husband had at age 68 with placement. She said that the noise and visual stimulation just exacerbated his problems at the facility, and she brought him home. I've been wondering about the exact same thing regarding my husband, who is 65 and has had problems with daycare with the noise level being too much for his brain to handle. His doctor said that in younger AD patients, since their hearing and vision is intact, their damaged brains can easily become overloaded.
So, that has lead me to wonder how he could possibly endure placement--would it be 24 hours a day in hell? My husband is very strong physically, and of course, we all know what happens when a patient acts out--they are given more and more meds to "calm" them. I am wondering if anyone else has experience with this and would be willing to share it.
Very interesting MarilyninMD. My hd is younger too. He is 63 and not ready for placement but this is something I never thought about. Comments and posts like this is what makes this site so great.
I am watching a beautiful Memory Care Facility being built near my home. In a wooded setting, - the sign reads they will eventually have almost one hundred beds. Calm and Serene, says the sign. I googled the company, and they write that they strive to offer a calm and serene environment for those who prefer it IN ADDITION to the Activity Centers. Perhaps the industry is recognizing that not everyone adapts well to the stimuli that agitated residents create, coupled with the the loud music, the energetic staff members in their game of "toss the beach ball.."
I'm thinking I may volunteer there after it opens....perhaps I could be there to visit with the families of the patients if they need to talk with someone else who has "been there before". Who knows. I can tell you it is a HUGE facility...and appears that it will be absolutely beautiful when finished. I know this is for the benefit of the families, not the patients themselves.... Apparently, they ONLY take dementia patients...that's what the website said.
Great idea, Nancy, and I hope you are right about the industry recognizing that there's a need for a change. I think perhaps right now there is only one extreme (the old-time NH where patients are all medicated and sitting around in wheelchairs doing nothing) or the other--the one you described above with noise, noise and more noise. I hope someone comes up with a happy medium.
Nancy- I think volunteering would be a wonderful thing to do.
Marilynin- Like your husband mine also has eoad. Bob is in the early stages but I can tell you noise bothers him. Last Christmas Eve we were in church and all of a sudden he bolted out of his seat and left the sanctuary when the choir began to sing. Our son went after him to make sure he did not leave to walk home. He told me later it "hurt" his ears. I've since purchased custom earplugs for him to use in group setting or loud restaurants. This filters out excessive noises.
We share a common friend Kris B. who also complains about noise bothering her. I do believe this is a common complaint among younger AD people
I don't know about early onset, but my hb is 73 and has vascular dementia. He is MUCH MORE sensitive to noise than ever. Putting dishes in the cupboard, taking them out, getting silverware out of drawer: these are a few of his favorite (NOT) noises. Never bothered him before. "Commotion" of many people around also bothers him. I mentioned this to friends in my support group whose spouses are also not EOAD, and they say their spouses are also more sensitive to noise. TV is too noisy for him, too. Today he said he's having difficulty seeing because he's getting older. I don't think that's all of it. Beginning cataracts and early glaucoma pressure are contributors, I think.
Marilyn, My husband is 59 years old, he has been in an ALF since March. Loud noises bother him, however, as soon as it is over he is fine. I have noticed no matter what age, loud noises bother all the residents. My husband is also very strong...was very athletic. He hates to be changed & is aggressive, however, he has never been over medicated, even though he has struck aides..which really upsets me, however, I was told, the aides know they could be hit when they were hired. He did have a stay at a Hospital for behaviors to adjust his medication In fact he is on less medication than when he was at home. I am very lucky to have found a place that wants the residents to be alert & not drugged. This is a private pay, for dementia residents only.
My husband was moved off the first floor, which is a very busy rehab floor and moved to the dementia wing on the third floor which is very quiet and calm all day long. This particular nursing home is very aware that some of their patients need a lot of quiet, and some need not so much quiet, so that is how they have set it up.
Sometimes noise and confusion seem to upset Charlie. I will say that the facility that he is in does not have a great amount of it, but when it is hectic and it seems to be bothering him the staff is very attuned to him and move him into his room and turn on some soft music for him. They say that is does the trick most of the time.
I turned off the volume on many of our phones and turned the remaining ones, as well as the answering machine, way down. Since entering the mid stage, the phone ringing has really irritated my husband, if he even hears a phone ringing on a TV show, it gets to him! He told our aide that the vacuum cleaner was "screaming" when it was on--he even gets annoyed when she takes it out of the closet and asks her what she's going to do with it. She has to sneak the vacuuming in when he is sleeping in a different part of the house in order not to upset him.
I am glad to see that some facilities take this problem into account. The 3 daycare programs my DH has attended have all been extremely noisy, all of the time.
Trish--Please tell more about the custom earplugs--doubt my husband would wear them, but it may be worth a try. Give Kris a hug for me!
We went to an audioligist here in town. She took molds of the inside of his ears to have the custom earplugs made. There is a diffuser in the plugs that filters out some of the background noises. They were not cheap - almost $200.00. Bob will also wear them when he cuts the grass. Of course sometimes they get lost, but so far have been found! If he "forgets" to bring them to a noisy restaurant I have a back-up of disposable ear plugs that you can get at Home Depot.
We'll be walking with Kris at her memory walk (next month) so I'll give he a hug from you.