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I'm an only child with widower dad. His Parkinson's took a sharp decline in just the past few weeks with more serious dementia issues arising, even to the point of safety concerns if left alone - particularly when combined with sundowner's syndrome. I can't always be home, am working on in home and/or placement care services (trying to start the qualification process) but the rapid acceleration of the decline has me in need of a more immediate solution than the traditional routes might take. Has anyone faced a similar issue and/or have any ideas to help? Thanks so much!

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Have you considered calling 911 when he does something dangerous? Get him taken to the ER and explain the situation to the social workers--that he is not safe at home and there is no one to care for him.

This is sometimes called a "social admit" or ER dump.

You need to be firm, possibly to the point of appearing callous, that you can not care for him.
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Ladyjustice Dec 2022
That would be very hard, but I know that it could come to that if there's not a better solution.

I tried putting in some Alexa cameras, but even when I've called to stop him from doing something I was seeing it hasn't gotten him to stop... then he doesn't hang the phone up completely so I can't call back and talking to him on the camera hasn't gotten him to stop either.
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I was in the exact same situation as you. I called 911, had him transported to ER, the hospital kept him as a social admit and called on various nursing homes for an open bed. It took about a week, but they found an excellent facility that took great care of him for the last year of his life.

I want to add to this. If you do call 911, give them a legitimate reason why he needs to go. In my case, my father kept getting up and trying to put his coat on, so I told the police officer and the police officer recommended bringing him to the hospital (he said he didn't want to be called a few hours later needing to look for a wandering elderly man). Perhaps you can tell them he's delusional and you are afraid for your and his safety. But you have to be convincing that he needs to go.
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mstrbill Dec 2022
Bandy, I think it is safer, easier for all involved, and maybe has a better chance of succeeding if the ambulance takes him, but each situation may be a little different. If she were to take him herself, I think there is a greater chance that the hospital may try to send him back home with her, and not admit him.
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I agree a trip to the ER might be in order. Or at least call his doctor and they will advise you on whether a trip to the ER is warranted. Checking for a UTI and blood work to see if something is really off could be quite helpful. It could also just be that he has taken a big step down in his Parkinson's journey. But it would be good to know.

Does he live with you?

Have you used any caregivers to date? Any family who could help you while you work to get him the care he needs?

Ask around for advice for private caregivers. There may be someone recommended by a friend of a friend that is available NOW to come over to help him. You could find a local facebook group and post the question for a suggestion for a caregiver - there are usually lots of responses to people looking for recommendations.

I think you are working outside of the home and if so you are going to take some time off from work. I wonder if this would qualify as an FMLA event so that you would not be "punished" for taking time off. As others stated, you can not leave your dad alone at this point. So until you get your long term solution in place, unfortunately, the work falls upon your shoulders.

Best of luck.
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Ladyjustice Dec 2022
My dad's doctor is a nice guy and will do what he can to help, but doesn't really seem to offer much regarding the gravity of situation. It's hard to describe inability to reason with my dad what that means for his care when onky at an appointment for what amounts to a 10 minute visit every 4 months after waiting in reception for an hour... When I tell him the delusions and hallucinations are getting worse he just says that's a "normal/expected" side effect of the medication and offers a prescription for the ensuing anxiety those hallucinations bring on to my dad.

He does live with me. I did have a friend come when I was gone for a week and during that time his condition radically worsened, though with a medication adjustment things returned to where they had been prior to this recent decline. (Private caregiver found basically as described.)

There's no other family around- all have moved out of state in recent years. I have a few friends that would try to help, but who like me work and really can't do anything.
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Your father is no longer safe to be left alone with cameras! Either hire in home caregivers thru an agency right away to stay with him all day long while you're gone, or get him to the ER for an evaluation to see why all of a sudden he's gotten so much worse. He could've had a stroke or some other organic issue which is responsible for this decline. While at the hospital, you can take Barbs suggestions. One way or another, dad is no longer safe alone at home.

Good luck to you.
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My mother had Parkinson’s disease. She also had dementia towards the end of her life.

Your father should not be left alone. Cameras won’t stop him from doing anything harmful.

My mom tried to walk out of the front door in the middle of the night.

I don’t know if your dad has an issue with balance. It’s very common for Parkinson’s patients to struggle with balancing. Falling became an issue for my mother.

What meds does your dad take for Parkinson’s? My mom took Sinemet. Sometimes I would hear her screaming in her sleep because she had vivid dreams as a side effect of the meds. Mom didn’t sleep very well throughout the night.

She was prescribed Seroquel and that helped. In hospice they also gave her Ativan. When she was near death they removed her Sinemet and added morphine. She died peacefully in hospice.

There are so many issues regarding Parkinson’s disease and dementia that make being alone dangerous for your dad. Don’t risk his safety.

Speak with your dad’s physician or a social worker to help with deciding on the best options for a care plan. He needs around the clock supervision.
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You don't give your location so I can't reconnoitre, but try googling "crisis care" or "urgent care" with "adult social services" for your area. Or ring your Area Agency on Aging's helpline and ask them.

You could also ask his Parkinson's team, because lots of their patients will have been in this situation; or research local Parkinson's-related special interest groups. It's a matter of networking.

The service I work for is responsible in theory for providing this kind of short-term support in our county, but at the moment we're spread so thin that by the time we get round to assessment the problems have often resolved themselves :(
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A caregiver agency could probably serve him in a day or two. I am not advising but the last one we used was "Home Instead". It is expensive and self pay.

Taking him to the ER is a good idea if you have a legitimate concern. The social worker on his floor if admitted can very quickly get him placed in long term care.
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Ladyjustice Dec 2022
My dad is always a falling risk and in the last couple of days even was going out of the house, which he hadn't been doing until just this week. Today has been a better day, but mostly because he napped most of today, I know I can't expect that to happen everyday.
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