Follow
Share

My father is at an Assisted Living Memory Care facility in Kingsland GA. They had to evacuate for the hurricane and my father who has dementia and Parkinson's is giving them problems at the temporary facility. The Administrator just called and mentioned that we need to sit down and discuss sending my dad to something called "Medication Study". To me it sounds like a reason to pump more medication into him to make life easier on their staff instead of making things better for my father. This sounds like a staff training problem and their answer is to medicate my father so they don't have to deal with him. Has anyone here had to place their parents through a Medication Study?


I have spoken to an Elder Attorney and will sit down with them next week again.

This question has been closed for answers. Ask a New Question.
Not sure what you mean by medication study.

If my parents was in an emergency situation, I'd sure as shooting want calming meds for them.
Helpful Answer (2)
Report

He is in a different situation so will be confused. Think, it's probably hard for the staff to work around things that r new to them too. My GFs father became violent. He as sent to a place to help find the right med. So an eval may be a good thing.
Helpful Answer (1)
Report

When I worked home health, (RN, BSN) I recommended a Geri psych eval for patients numerous times. Assorted reasons were: inappropriate and/or violent behaviors towards self, staff members, other patients, agitation, hallucinations, etc. We had a mental health NP on staff, so our referrals went to him. The purpose of the Geri psych eval is multi-fold. To assess for safety concerns, level of functioning, diagnosis & medication review, appropriateness to the facility. As far as I know, and I've been alive for a while, there is no cure for aging or the chronic co-morbidities of aging, there is only adaptation. There will be the inevitable declines and worsening of health conditions ...just a sad fact.

In every ALF, ILF or SNF I went into, posted on the walls in multiple places are signs with the state ombudsman's telephone number...it is a resource for the residents to voice their concerns/complaints to. You could try that before you assume the expense of the elder care attorney.

Btw, when I worked the floor in a facility, saw many patients asked to leave the facility because of family members behaviors.

These days I have full time care of my father who has dementia, hallucinations, mania and other assorted health problems from his days in Vietnam handling agent orange...I don't want him to be doped up to the gills like he was when he got out of a Geri psych facility(because he was violent) and was placed in my care. But I'm here with him 24/7 in order to have that happen. Facilities don't have enough staff for patients requiring one on one. Can you take care of your father to make this happen? Or pay someone to?
Helpful Answer (1)
Report

The main symptom of my mom's Mild Cognitive Decline was overwhelming anxiety...about EVERYTHING. When we got her to a geripsych, she was able to take life one day at a time again.

It wasn't that we didn't want to take the time to calm her down; it was that NOTHING calmed her down. And if it did, she became anxious about something else.

When one's brain is broken, one often needs meds to even things out. The meds my mom was on, even after her stroke when she developed vascular dementia, never made her dopey or sleepy; they allowed her to be calm, happy and interactive, most of the time.
Helpful Answer (1)
Report

Geriatric psychological exam is what I mean by medication exam. Medication exam is what the Administrator of the facility called it. Probably less shock calling it that. When the Administrator makes this recommendation it makes me think that they want to medicate my father so they don't have to deal with him. Easier to medicate the people than train the personnel at the facility.
Helpful Answer (0)
Report

I did talk to the Ombudsman. But as the Ombudsman explained that when she goes to a facility she talks to the resident and not the family even though it's the family making the complaint. Pretty stupid system. So instead of talking to the responsible party she talked to my father who has dementia and mumbles incoherently. Not her fault the system was designed that way.  I have also called the regulating agency for GA twice and have yet to receive a call back. I have talked to the Administrator of a facility where he resided until he had to be moved and told her what was happening. She found it serious enough to file her own complaint on his behalf. We will see where that goes. In the mean time he is in a new facility with experienced people that know what they are doing. Very happy with the new place.
Helpful Answer (0)
Report

This question has been closed for answers. Ask a New Question.
Ask a Question
Subscribe to
Our Newsletter