Good morning! Here I am!
I had talked to her, getting her to take her meds, last evening and we hung up at 6:45. About 20 minutes or so later I checked in on her. Then again just before 8pm and the cameras showed offline. At first I was just hoping it was maybe her internet service was down. Then the medication app showed offline. Then my uncle texted me that he was trying to call her and it wouldn't go through. I tried to call and same thing. I texted him back that I think she has unplugged stuff again! I checked with her provider with her account online and there were no outages reported, it was just showing her router and modem as "disconnected".
So, I couldn't call to wake her up for breakfast this morning. Dh and I have to go into the city in a couple hours for his prostate check up appointment, so after I will stop at her place and see what is going on. His doctors office is only like one block from her apartment. It will end up being during the lunch hour, which is probably good. That means she will be down in the dining room eating, while I'm in her apt trying to see what is going on/fixing. She won't be there constantly asking me what I'm doing, can she help, etc. I said to dh last night - they need to make locked boxes for power strips! Well, they sort of do. I got online and Amazon sells these child proof boxes that power strips go inside. One reviewer even said they used it for their elderly parent with dementia who constantly unplugs everything. So, if unplugging is the culprit (because you know she didn't do it!) I am going to order one of those and a couple of the outlet covers that go over the plugin on the wall. They are both inexpensive and hopefully will save me tearing my hair out with her again.
Wish me luck today.
I totally understand. my mom has moved from Assisted Living to Memory Care and she is always unplugging things but insists that the staff is doing it. I don't know how she even does it half the time, because I have moved furniture in front of the outlets. dementia is a horrible, horrible disease that I wouldn't wish on anyone. And the caregiving is draining.
ReplyDeleteShe would have actually had to get down on the floor, under her desk to get to the power strip, if that's what she unplugged. Either that or she removed all the tape I have covering the back of her router and modem to keep the cords plugged into the back of the devices sitting on her table. It doesn't matter how many times I have said to her you can't unplug anything. They won't work if they aren't plugged in! She just says she didn't do it, like your mom. It is draining to constantly be dealing with something every day, that's for sure.
DeleteI think I am less than five years younger than your mother and feel so incredibly lucky I am not going through what she is. Have you read that side sleeping helps a person to not develop dementia. Sleeping on your side helps the brain empty its garbage. And, that is exactly how it was described.
ReplyDeleteHave you ever considered putting name and links for the things you are buying, from cameras to lock boxes for the plugs? That would be helpful.
I did just happen to read an article about side sleeping, too. I tend to sleep on my stomach alot! Not as much as I used to, because my back doesn't like it as much nowadays, but old habits still hard to break. I'll put links to what I purchased in my next post.
DeleteMy mom and dad always unplugged everything before they went to bed because "it was a fire hazard". Maybe they were right, but in any case I wish you good luck!
ReplyDeleteI don't think she used to unplug things before dementia. Whenever I have tried to get her to explain why (which usually she says she didn't do it or she doesn't know why) she once in awhile mentions she thought it was done "charging".
DeleteI'm not surprised that she unplugged everything but it does amaze me.
ReplyDeleteGood luck !!
Hopefully the covers I am getting will help
DeleteI hope that you can get her moved very soon. Could you not call the current facility and ask for a wellness check? If she can't get anything to work because she unplugged everything, she may be panicked because she doesn't understand why things aren't working. She could possibly any day now forget who you are and then she would feel so lost and confused.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure her current place would go check on her if I called, but I was able to go there today and fix it all. Now I can see her again on the camera, sitting in her recliner.
DeleteI think I’d take a vacation day if needed to set up a change for her, maybe set up tour and time to get the ball rolling. Have they even gotten back to you if they have openings?
ReplyDeleteI emailed the lady back yesterday about setting up a tour sometime Saturday morning. I also asked if they have a waiting list. I haven't heard back yet. If I don't hear back by tomorrow morning, I'll give a call to set up. I first want to tour it before I make a decision to move her there. Then if I do, they would have to assess her to see what level of care she requires
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