Families With Alzheimers

Nursing Homes

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Nursing homes provide a valuable resource for families living with Alzheimer's Disease.  For many of us they are a last resort and it is a difficult decision but the bottom line is that they have 24-hour staff who are medically trained professionals and there are times when that becomes necessary.   Having said that we caregivers should also remember that it is okay to use a nursing home as a respite for a few months and that it may be possible to plan to bring your loved one home.

HOME Ask Aunt Annie has advice on living with Alzheimer's and being a caregiver The Ask Annie Archive has answers and practical caregiving tips. The Buddy Plan pairs caregivers for one-on-one friendships with people who have been there. Read about nursing homes and how to make a safe transition for your loved one. Read about coming home from a nursing home and how to plan to bring your loved one home. Check out some of the nutrients, vitamins and supplements that we have tried and what to ask your medical team. Read about where to find resources and how to decide what you need. Read about Alzheimer's Disease and its stages in normal people-talk. Read about the warning signs for Alzheimer's Disease. How your family can live with Alzheimer's Disease. How our family has lived with Alzheimer's Disease. How home health care professionals can help your family live with Alzheimer's Disease at home.

ASK AUNT ANNIE Advice for Caregivers & Families

Make Moving Day Go Your Way

The transition from home to a nursing home is so very complicated and so emotional that it is almost like a physical trauma to all involved.  According to the Medicare whats-is rules it is easier to get into a nursing home by being transferred there from the hospital versus from the home.    That means that the family and physician have to work together to plan an admittance into the hospital.  Both the physician and the hospital social worker will be useful in making arrangements with the nursing home staff.    I like to keep all of my "Max Info" in a notebook.   That way whatever information I might need will always be in one place.  When arranging for someone else, whether hospital or nursing home, to take care of my grandfather I make copies of his medicine/vitamins/herbs schedule, a list of food favorites and snack favorites and a 1 page summary of him.   I include who he is, what he was and who some of his family members were.  That was the people who are providing his professional medical care can know enough about him to see him as a person and to be able to converse with him about things and people that he may, occasionally, remember.   It's easiest when a family is working together during this part of transition so that there is a point person for the financial decisions and a family expert on the medical information and someone planning visits to make the transition from home less frightening.

What To Pack

When To Go

Decide whether the family will launder the patient's clothes or whether the facility will provide that service.    You want to pack half a dozen comfortable outfits that are easy to get in and out of.  Personal hygeine items are usually provided by the facility and mementos should be limited or nailed down. Look at some of the other patient's rooms and talk to the floor nurse.

I have had the hardest time making the decision to put Granddad in a nursing home.  Now that I'm pregnant with a toddler I can't imagine how I managed pregnant with a Granddad-toddler.   The deciding place is different for everyone but for me knowing that I have the option of bringing him home makes it easier.