Dementia for 2

I have not written about Granny in a while, so much has been happening that I really don't know where to begin. Maybe I can just number them in no particular order.

1. Shortly after I started recovering from pneumonia, my grandmother contracted pneumonia. Since she has received the shot to prevent this, we were surprised that she became ill. Mom had her admitted to a different hospital farther away from home this time. It was discovered that Granny aspirates on thin liquids such as water, coffee, etc. Hence the bout with pneumonia. The doctor prescribed a thickener for her liquids so maybe this will help.

2. Since no one can care for your family to suit you, there are always problems with Granny's care. Since mom is no longer working, she is spending most of her time with Granny and this issue has come to the surface. There are serious issues with more than one aide and mom has tried to resolve them in such a way as to allow at least a civil relationship. However, not everyone is this mature. This has led to a letter writing campaign followed by numerous phone calls. The outcome is still undecided but, I am worried about both my mom and grandmother.

3. Mom is trying to see if Granny qualifies for Medicare Home Health Care. Since the qualifications are very specific, we are not sure if Granny is even in the running for this. Mom is going to make some calls and try and set up an appointment with Granny's doctor to see if this is a viable option. Since Granny needs so much equipment, lift, hospital bed, wheelchair, etc. I am not sure all of this will be covered by Medicare. I don't know if you can rent any of this or what the cost will be. Mom thinks this will be the best thing for both she and Granny but, I worry that she may not be thinking this through.

Overall, Granny is doing very well. Since her discharge from the hospital, she has been a little difficult when it comes to taking any medication. She just flat out refuses to take any if mom is trying to give it to her. No one has figured out what is going on with her concerning this yet.

Yesterday she was talking to people in her room that were not there. This is a new development and does have us a little concerned. I do hope that when mom goes to visit her today, she will be more like herself. I know a lot of people say that their family members experienced similar things shortly before they passed on. However, my father in law talked with people for months before he died. I am not as concerned as mom but then again, I have dealt with Granny's "spells" more than mom.

I hope you all have a great weekend and hopefully I will have better news in my next post.