AboutMargot RN BScN GNC Expertise GERONTOLOGY (NURSING ISSUES RELATED TO THE ELDERY) I have 15+ years experience working with the elderly. I would be pleased to offer any assistance I can. My areas of expertise include: Gerontology / Geriatrics, Long Term Care, Community Nursing, Palliative Care, Private Nursing Services, Intermediate / Extended Care. I also have a personal interest in Homeopathic and Eastern Medicine. If I can not answer your question I`ll do my best to direct you to an appropriate resource. Thank you.
Experience I have fifteen years experience in Gerontological Nursing both in the community, and in Long Term Care. I have worked as a General Duty Nurse, a Nurse Manager, and a Nursing Consultant in Long Term Care and Community Nursing.I have a great deal of experience working with, assessing, and educating in the field of Gerontology (Nursing the Elderly). I am familiar with the challenges associated with Dementia (Alzheimer's), Chronic and Terminal illnesses. Experience in the area 20 years of Long Term Care and Community Nursing, specialising in Geriatrics, Gerontology and PalliativeCare.
Education/Credentials Registered Nurse , Certified Gerontological Nurse, Bachelor of Science in Nursing.
Question My grandfather lives with me. My grandfather has begun to confuse night and day. He will go to bed at 7pm when he says that he is tired, and by 9pm he will come back in the room, fully dressed and shaved, and say "Good Morning". My husband and I have to explain almost everyday that it is still night time and that he needs to go back to bed. He then wants to know why we are awake, and we have to tell him that we have not gone to bed yet. I also have a 5 month old baby, and I check on him around 3 or 4am, and 9 times out of 10 my grandfather is awake again or sleeping the the recliner in the living room. His memory is very bad about present occurrences, but he can tell you a story about when he was 10. Today I went home for lunch to check on him. When I was ready to leave, he asked me where my grandmother was, and if she was in the house. I had to remind him that she passed away. Then he asked me if we buried her. I told him yes. (My grandmother died 9 days before my baby was born). My grandfather is at home alone all day. I know that he is lonely because he tells me. He occupies his time by going to the mailbox and checking the mail over and over and over. I put a calendar on the fridge and mark the day everyday, but he still doesn't know what day it is. He is hard of hearing as well. I have to work, and so does my husband. I am looking into working from home because I worry about him all day. He doesn't know how to drive, and doesn't have anyone to talk to all day. I try not to call home because since he is hard of hearing, he can't always hear me, or he is outside checking the mail and that makes me more nervous when he doesn't answer the phone.
Can you please give me some suggestions for what I need to know or do?
Answer Hi Monique and thanks for writing,
God Bless you for caring for your dear old Granddad - he is lucky to have a family that cares for him like you do.
First off I would recommend you take him to his family doctor and have him assessed for Depression and Dementia as th symptoms you describe are consistent with Short Term Memory Loss due to Dementia. Of course these symptoms can be caused by, or worsened by depression, and I have no doubt your Granddad I depressed due to the loss of his dear wife. Couples often do better as a unit and can cope together which can mask the signs of Dementia, then if one dies, the other quickly declines and you notice the symptoms much more clearly.
If you could manage to work from home, and it is what you want to do, then I would recommend that as a great first step. You can be around to direct yur Granddad, and keep an eye on him she he doesn't hurt himself.
You'll also want to talk to the doctor about medications - perhaps one for depression (which can take 6-8 week to work in the elderly) and one for the memory loss. This may help slow and maybe even reverse some of the symptoms you describe. I would also advise having him assessed for any government assistance he may qualify for; there may be adult daycare in your area, or they may even send a caregiver in for a few hours on days you can’t be at home. Also look into any associations in your area for guidance and support; look for Alzheimer Associations, they often have wonderful resources.
As there is currently no cure or treatment for Dementia, the most important thing we can do is promote comfort in the patient’s life – make sure they have comfortable clothes, have items in their room that they enjoy (whether that be family pictures or Fischer Price toys), bring them food they like, and make sure the goal of treatment is “comfort” and not “extending life”.
Wishing you and your Grandpa all the best, I hope you can safely keep him at home. Of course if that scenario doesn’t work, then you can look for a nice retirement home that can meet his needs.
