Disappointed

Perhaps "disappointed" is an understatement.  Really, I am angry.  I know that running a nursing home and taking care of Alzheimer's patients are two of the most difficult jobs there are.  But frankly, I was hoping that the professionals had more of a clue.  I am gritting my teeth this morning and will have to address the issue with the administration when I am not quite so angry.

Of course, as a person with Alzheimer's, Mother has no self-control.  She says what she is thinking.  She acts like a naughty 4 year old most of the time.  So why would a RN give Mother - an Alzheimer's patient who LOVES chocolate- a whole pound of chocolate at once?  I ask you, would you give a 4 year old that much candy and then leave her to it?  Mother ate the whole pound of candy in 30 minutes.  Then she was sick.  The RN came looking for Mother and the chocolate later in the day and was surprised that it was gone.  Really?  Why should that surprise her?  Mother grabs a candy bar out of your hands and tries to eat it wrapper and all.  Mother has sat in the Rn's office and gobbled candy from the dish on the desk.  I know the candy was meant as a kindly gesture, but what was this woman thinking?  This was not a gift that was good for Mother.  When I visited Mother she looked sick and complained of her belly hurting.  I found out that last week she was getting up to 3 cans of soft drinks a day too.  It is time, once again, to have a talk with the administrator and the RN and let them know that giving Mother that much junk is not good for her.  I'm OK with a soft drink a day and some occasional candy, but not this massive amount of sugar.

The moral of this story is that if you have a loved one in a nursing home, visit several times a week at different times of the day.  Talk to the CNAs and the other staff and ask questions.  Keep in touch with administrators and let them know of your wishes for the care of your loved one.  Even too much candy and sugar can constitute a kind of abuse.