After our last visit and discussion with the nurse on dad’s
changing behaviors, I wanted to address our concerns with the social
worker. I sent her an email explaining
what we had heard and how we were upset that maybe this was a sign that things
were changing. He had been so friendly
and agreeable since we discovered him in this state last summer, and we wanted
to hang on to this phase as long as possible.
I had also heard earlier that week that they upped his Vitamin D after
he tested low, so I wondered if that could have any impact on his behavior.
She explained that after talking to the staff, they had
noticed some increased agitation gradually over the past several weeks. And that it was worse over that weekend into
Monday. There were a couple incidents
with other patients where he thinks he is “helping”, like wanting to push them
somewhere in their wheelchair and the other patient doesn’t like it. But he doesn’t stop. And he hasn’t been as easy to redirect as he
was in the past. It sounds like things
escalated a little and there were raised voices involved on both sides. There was another incident over a
puzzle. He wanted to help another
resident work on a 25 piece puzzle of the United States. Sometimes this is ok, and other times the
resident just wants to work alone. This
was one of those times, but my dad wasn’t getting the message. It sounded like it turned into an
argument. I can’t help but think how
this sounds like an incident that would occur in a preschool classroom.
She put our concern about the Vitamin D on the doctor’s
board. But it sounds like these were
gradual changes that occurred before they started him on it. She said the staff talked about it and now
they understand that they would need to take more time to redirect him. Whereas before it was a quick “Hey, let’s do
this instead” was all it took, now they might have to try a different approach
to keep things from escalating. It also
sounds like it may be on the lines of what we saw at the end of our last
visit. He was on a mission, and nothing was
redirecting him or sinking in. He wasn't unpleasant about it, he wasn't trying to be difficult, but the connection just wasn't being made.
She thinks it may be a sign of a decline. It’s just so wrong. I try not to let the severity of this impact
me too much on a day to day basis. I am
happy he is in a safe place that he seems to like, he is being fed real meals
every day, his health is being monitored, and they generally seem to care about
him. But other times it really hits home
that my 64 year old father is in a nursing home. He’s completely mobile, but he’s in a nursing
home. In a locked unit. For his own good. He would have hated this if he was in his
right mind. Brilliant mind that he once
was...
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