Camilla,

Can he go home?  Can you qualify for
homecare workers to come in and give
you some rest?  I am so grateful to be
home-- and have gained back the 27 pounds
I had lost this past winter. I am
hoping to continue to be  well.

I had some terrifying moments
when psychiatrists tried to
hospitalize me in a psych ward,
after I refused to take Seroquel...
Three of them grilled me (interviewed
me ) simultaneously- it was awful.

I only can pray for both of you, that Peter does
not lose his mind in the hospital.

Ivan
:-)



On Thu, 17 May 2001 18:29:14 -0400 Camilla Flintermann
<[log in to unmask]> writes:
> Dear Peg and friends---I really appreciate your sharing your
> experience ,
> and it has been helpful to me, I hope to others also.  Maybe Jeff
> will add
> it to the CARE website?
>
> Today we hit bottom---and I thought of you and Harry even more. When
> I got
> to Westover at 8:45 AM today, Peter was having a complete paranoid
> episode,
> and we ended up  with his insisting he would not go back to his
> room,
> everyone was evil, food was poisoned, the whole thing---he insisted
> they
> call the police, even though we told him they would take him to the
> hospital.  No one could make any headway with him, and by then of
> course I
> was one of the bad guys too,because I wouldn't take him home !    At
> the
> nearest hospital ER they followed the instruction of the Westover
> staff
> psychiatrist, who luckily had seen him a few days earlier, and
> arranged to
> transfer him to Cincinnati (an hour away) where one hospital has a
> supposedly fine Geriatric Psych unit.  They had to give him a shot
> of
> Ativan to quiet him, but even then he wouldn't take his meds.  The
> social
> worker from the psych unit spoke to me by phone, and seemed very
> understanding and competent. He will be Peter's worker. He told me
> to go
> home and rest, and come down for visiting hours in the morning,
> bringing
> some clothes. etc.   Our son-in-law's mother is visiting them and
> will
> drive down with me tomorrow, as both  daughters have to work.  The
> hope is
> to get meds adjusted so he will be willing and able to return to
> Westover.
> We knew the changes would be very hard due to his dementia, but saw
> no
> alternative.  The problems with meds--timeliness and his refusal of
> them at
> times-- have added the final layer of stress.  Yes, there were some
> good
> days, pleasant visits, but increasingly he was begging to come home.
>  He
> has of course forgotten now that going there was his own
> idea----I'll try
> to keep friends updated as we go along.  Thanks to all for your
> loving
> concern, prayers, and suggestions.
>
>
>
>
> >---------------------- Information from the mail header
> >-----------------------
> >Sender:       "Caregivers Are Really Essential (CARE)"
> >              <[log in to unmask]>
> >Poster:       [log in to unmask]
> >Subject:      Re: Adjustments
>
>------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------
>
> >Camilla,
> >
> >Decided to send this to the list in case our discussion could help
> others
> >faced with placing their loved ones.
>
> SNIPPED
>
>
>       Camilla Flintermann             <[log in to unmask]>
>
>
>       on the web at   http://www.geocities.com/camillahf/index.html
>
>            ****    ****    ****    ****   ****    ****    ****
> ****
>         "... Meet people where  they are  now,
>                  not where you hoped they might be........"
>                 --Christine Greenland
>           ****    ****    ****    ****    ****    ****    ****
> ****
>
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^^^^^^  WARM GREETINGS  FROM  ^^^^^^^^^^^^  :-)
 Ivan Suzman        51/39/36       [log in to unmask]      :-)
 Portland, Maine    land of lighthouses           deg. F   :-)
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