help for mom

[hillview]

mom is declining (memory) and is likely to have a dementia diagnosis later this year (currently at mild cognative impairment diagnosis). She is living independently in a retirement community. Today she can manage things herself (I set up her medication weekly and attend doc appointments with her -- something she was managing herself 6 months ago). How do I find out about next stage services for her -- her doctor? her neuro? local services? Is there some great website? thanks!

[georgiegirl]

I’m sorry you are dealing with this.

Does her community have memory care? I’m not in this position yet, but a good friend moved her in-laws into one of those communities that has independent living and memory care. At first both parents were in independent living, but now the dad is in the memory care unit. I assume they are people who can help out with small tasks, but ultimately, your mom will likely need full care, so a place that has that would be ideal.


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[mmsmom]

My Dad had dementia. My mom cared for him at home with a sitter coming in a few hours a week so she could run errands. This arrangement did not last long because it is not sustainable for the care giver. He was then moved to a memory care facility. There are different levels of care within the facility. My mother worked with an elder care consultant to advise her on facilities and arrange the tours (they are paid by the facilities so no cost to you). Her neuro will also have resources to provide and should be able to give you an idea about the type of care she will need. I’ve heard good things locally about the advisors at A Place for Mom which I think is available in many areas.

[candaceb]

You may want to look into hiring a geriatric social worker. One good thing about it is that it brings in a neutral third party, and they usually know a lot of different options and service providers around town.
https://www.umassglobal.edu/news-and...er%20in%20life.

[mom2binsd]

It will depend on where she lives, does her current retirement home have continuing care available?

Is her primary care a geriatric specialist? Does she have an annual Neurology visit?

Heads up that the "social worker" in many senior facilties are not really social workers with extensive backgrounds and education. They may not be the best for assessing her needs, it will depend on each person but so many assisted living/retirement homes go through staff so frequently and they are often that qualified. Ours is a former activity director/CNA, she is called social services, is great at explaining how to apply for Medicaid and finding placements but has no social work background or education
Getting an annual assessment with someone who specializes in dementia is important. As a SLP who had worked with patients in many settings and who assesses folks, I'm shocked that so few primary care doctors miss so many signs that someone is experiencing a decline. If you can find a slp or private psych who specializes in dementia that would be helpful.

We often find family also can be easily fooled as folks get good at "masking" their deficits and in a familiar a setting can seem less involve than when we see them after a fall etc. Family often says to us "I had no idea she didn't really understand her medications" etc.

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[hillview]

thanks all
we just moved her to a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC -- she barely passed the memory test and we studied for it) and is living in independent living but they offer memory care
she is under the care of a neuro in a memory care clinic (he believes she will have an diagnosis by summer, current diagnosis is mild cognitive impairment)
the geriatric social worker sounds like a great place to research
thank you!

[gatorsmom]

Someone I was just communicating with mentioned she is looking into this resource for their parent. She described it as a startup that offers free coaching to caregivers. They focus on dementia, including Alzheimers. the startup name is www.Steadii.com .I wish I could tell you more about it. It might be worth looking into for someone.

[mom2binsd]

Someone I was just communicating with mentioned she is looking into this resource for their parent. She described it as a startup that offers free coaching to caregivers. They focus on dementia, including Alzheimers. the startup name is www.Steadii.com .I wish I could tell you more about it. It might be worth looking into for someone.

I did a quick search and it is all app based and coaching for caregivers, what's most powerful to families is local resources, family support groups, finding the right local facility when needed. Many hospitals are a great resource for local support groups etc, and the hospitals will have experienced people with proper training.

I'd be interested to see what type of coaching they provide or of its mostly links to other presentations etc. I would not pay for something like that, but again, getting a referral from a neurologist or hospital would be helpful. There is a lack of expertise in this area, if I could figure out a way to use my experience and not run amock of liscensing issues I would do this. I do help family and friends all the time, can spot a bogus facility who pretends to offer dementia services when they don't etc and have done plenty of consults for free because there really isn't people out there who have a lot of experience.

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