As I posted earlier this week....I had a rough weekend with hubby and granddaughter can no longer come over to visit.
Geri - Psychiatrist visit was today and as a result of his raging, she and the elder nurse have arranged that the next time he rages....there has to be an incident for them to implement this action....I am to call 911. The police and mental health have been notified of his condition. He will then be taken to the hospital and admitted to the psych ward there. When they have him under control he will then be sent to a NH .....first empty bed and eventually to the facility that I chose.
This is all happening so fast....I didn't think he would go down hill like this. Though he is at stage 5 I hope I will beable to find a facility that have people in it that aren't really low functioning. I'm going to see about the veterans hospital in the province. I think the veterans there are higher functioning and they can swap war stories.
One thing the doctor said to me that I didn't know is if the person was a binge drinker during their life that when they get dementia there is a higher risk of them having rage issues.
Amber What do you mean by " binge drinker" my DH was in the military and they used to drink at the mess until they were out of it and could hardly walk home.
I'm very happy and sad to hear what you are going through. My DH is having a great day, the best in a few years. He is even surprised himself. Hugs
I am glad you were able to talk to the doctor. It's all so damn sad, I'm sorry. As for the drinking, Lynn never had one drop of alcohol in his entire life. Guess that doesn't explain why he raged. It seems more likely to me it has to do with what part of the brain is being attacked and/or destroyed. At any rate, it's all very tragic.
I am not sure how it is there, but here where I live most are much lower functioning than stage 5, especially in a nursing home. At least in my state, you must need skilled care to be admitted to a nursing home. Higher functioning patients are more likely to be in assisted living. I hope you can find the right place for your dear husband.
Amber, thanks for the update. I am sorry that you are having to go through all this, but glad that you are getting some resolution.
My father is in a Vet's hospital (Sunnybrook). He has LBD, and is 96, and is pretty much stage 6 to 7, but there are all sorts of folks in there, all ages, and all levels of dementia (including none). When he first went in Dad was probably stage 5, enjoyed the surroundings and took part in a lot of the activities. So I hope that the Vets hospital in BC has the same type of setup for your DH so that you can rest in the knowledge that he will be well looked after and that there will be others there that still function at a high level.
I missed what you wrote about the VA. As bqd said, there they do have people who are higher functioning and many without dementia. Most nursing homes in my state are later stage dementia or stroke victims (etc.). Lynn's nursing home does have a locked dementia floor and the other floor is for those without dementia who need skill care. I hope the VA is a good fit for your DH.
Jazzy - I'm not sure of exactly what she ment.....but I think it is if they did it all their lives. Weekend case of beer sort of thing. Party on! Mine is same as yours when he was in the army...drink till you can't walk. Black outs.
Bonnie - That's good to hear about your dads experience. In BC we have only one veterans hospital on the coast, George Derby, that's the one I want him in but it would mean crossing boundry with the health districts. Not sure if I can do it but I'll talk to his veterans councellor and see what she says.
Nikki - because of his rages he would go into a NH not assisted living for safety reasons.
Thanks for your kind words....sure am glad this site is here.
Amber, what we found from our experience with Dad was that it helps a lot if he gets referred by a hospital. We changed health district boundaries with Dad as well to put him in Sunnybrook. The application for the Vet's hospital was quite complicated, I think in part because Dad's service was in WWII. It might be easier with a more recent service history. The other thing we discovered is that it is easier to get them into a Vet's hospital if they are high functioning - more beds available. Good luck!