She is 76, formerly very active in her community, Rio Rancho, headed up numerous boards (Indigent and Senior Citizens and volunteered at her local Sr Center. Since Jan 2014 she has complained of stomach pain and nausea and most recently dizziness. She has taken a colonoscopy, endoscopomy (sp?), and has been to an ENT and audiologist and they have found nothing .She lays in her bed or on her sofa, does not shower and barely eats. I live in Omaha and unfortunatly cannot leave to go there. My husband and our family have tried in vain to get her to agree to move up here, and she is not willing. She states that she doesn't feel well enough. She is prescribed Lexipro and Lorazapam , however we are not certain how much she is taking, and she has a multitude of other physotropic (Isp?) meds from previous perscriptoins she may still have laying about and may still be taking .Her neighbors /friends to the store for her ,get her mail and clean up after the dogs in the back yard. She only eats toast and cereal and sometime Ensure and Apple Juice. Please advise what assistance your agency can provide to her. I love my mother dearly and we want her with us. (We live in Omaha NE)
Don't be too hard on Mom, she just has to get some good help in diagnosing the problem. I too believe that meds can exacerbate the condition.
Could she have hypothyroid? Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever? Crones Disease? Really the doctors giving her psych drugs for a physical condition is unconscionable.
Once again, she will not get better staying in bed. She needs exercise, good food, and positive influences in her life. She needs to know she's not alone. She needs to see good doctors who understand the elderly body.
You are hearing only what SHE wants you to hear. How is she getting her groceries? How is she cooking them? Is she a danger to herself, i.e, can she use the stove properly if she is depressed and weak (one would imagine she is also weak. Is she getting enough hydration? Look up Geriatric Care and Geriatric Psychiatry to get more info.
I didn't know she was losing her meds and/or not taking them. /she wasn't eating, either. She would lie on the couch and fall asleep for the day with the television on. (Somehow, that made is okay)
Also, if she's in bed all day, she may not be eating properly. YOU or someone with the authority need to talk to her doctor and ask him what type of meds she is on and if he believes she is okay. Then tell him she's in bed all day. He will in all probability send out a visiting nurse to see what's going on.
Then, you need to go visit her (there's no two ways about this) and see what's going on. You also need to go in with her when she's visiting the doctors to hear what they are actually saying to her.
There's a lot more going on here than what she is telling you.
Believe me, when our parents get older, they devise ways of hiding stuff from us in order to keep their independence.
As you know, the more that your mother lays around, the worse she will feel. Perhaps all she needs is fluids and a good diet (and exercise) that she would receive at a rehab facility.
Please check back and let us know how it's going.
Carol
AgingCare is not an agency, it is a resource to find help and support for those of us providing care.
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