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Yes there are the trigger points that she had last night that i think caused her to get fearful. She was put in bed to early(8:pm it was still light out) a trigger point for Virginia or she asked to go to bed but changed her mine plus they closed her door t(his is a trigger point for Virginia) and she could not see her TV another trigger point. She is ok with the morning staff cause she knows them but the afternoon and evening staff have a lot of turnovers and she has trouble with new staff on occasion. The Doctor would suggest anantipsychotic drug. Virginia was very good today nurse said it could of been just a bad day. TY
It seems she's reaching the benefit of the doses quite quickly. You might also want to discuss with whichever doctor is prescribing it what the options would be if she reaches the maximum safe dose but is still anxious.
It really surprised me the Buspar has helped Virginia so quickly. She is more relaxed not hollering i was told by the Nurse on duty last night. So far its been the thing i been looking for to get relief for her as it does hurt saying no to the drugs offered but i thought they were to strong and i wanted something like this and grateful its working so far. I do see a more relaxed Virginia without the fear i seen before. I know its early and could change but so far working very well.I cannot tell you how much it helps me as well to know finally RELIEF for Virginia. No grapefruit or grapefruit * ty
So far its looking good Virginia is not as restless as she was and quieter.After being with her for 4 hours today i was able to leave and her emotions were more under control than usual. Its early yet but so far so good! ty
Virginia has started taking Buspar (Buspirone) this is her 3rd day i go every day and watch for any changes and or side effects. Happy 4th of July to all Supercharts
Thats wonderful it has worked for as long as 4 years i hope and pray it works for Virginia and believe it will! The good news is i can see a bit difference in Virginia now after only few days and at only 7.5 that leaves us with lots of room for adjusting her drug up if necessary. TY miface
EXACTLY what i want a widely used safe drug to see how Virginia does and i have seen less restlessness already but it seems to ware off my evening. Virgina takes 7.5 in the morning at 9:am and evening at 9:pm. I am not completely against drugs but ( i know its necessary in many cases) and has helped many people. TY for your post
The evening are the most difficult for Virginia as well. The mornings are not easy but it seems the sundown's are the worst.Virginia is taking a low dose of 7.5 i would think it will be raised afer one week. I read that the drug starts out at 15 mg and that the highest safe dose is 60 mg that not where Virginia is going or your mom but it good to know. TY for you post
Good to know it helped your Mom i will keep an open mind on the depression drugs but i am cautious. If the anxiety drug does not work i will keep on looking for something that does work.Sundowns seem to be difficult for Virginia also
Good luck!
All in al, celexa and its generics are good drugs that have been used successfully for many years.
Many older people develop anxiety/depression as they age, i think, due to loss of cognitive skills and because brain chemistry changes. It also seems true ( in my mom's case) that childhood traumas and fears resurface. If the brain is damaged in some way ( my mom has had some small strokes that were not detected, and then a big one, together they resulted in cognitive loss and loss of speech skills). There is no amount of reassurance that helps my mom be calm the way a combination of antidepressants and anti anxity meds does.
I'd give it a shot and see if there is improvement in three weeks or so. These meds take some time to work. Good luck.
If her "trigger points" are when the Hoyer is used to transfer her from bed to chair and back this could be the result of several things.
1. Does the staff take the time to explain to Virginia what they are doing.
2. Do they take their time so the explanation has a few moments to sink in?
3. Is it possible that she is scared during the transfers that she may fall?
4. Is she in actual pain during the movements?
Any or all of these could cause her to yell out.
I do realize in a Re-Hab facility they can not take a very long time due to the number of residents and the limited number of staff. But if they would realize that if you quietly and gently talk to someone while you are doing what needs to be done often the quiet voice and gentle touch can do much more than drugs.
This is not to say drugs will not help but it is possible that a much lower dose could be used along with kindness and understanding.
I know I would not like it if 2 people came at me rolled me to one side, slipped a sling under me, rolled me again and pulled the sling then hooded me up to a big scary metal bar then all of a sudden I am being lifted off my safe comfortable bed or out of my chair. I just might feel safer if someone told me what was going on. Doing this is just as important if the person has dementia. I find my husband is much less fearful when I am telling him what I am doing while I am doing it. I get much less resistance and SURPRISE..that makes my job easier! Win-Win!!
Well i did find out that Virginia was laboring more than usual and did make an appointment to see a Doctor earlier but was canceled because Virginia did not want to see this Primary Doctor anymore so i looked for a different Doctor and found one that would see her May 10th i thought it was ok to waitt but she got suddenly worse on April 10 and this all started. I do take the blame for a very bad decision to wait.One i have learned from and will continue to go forward to help Virginia best i can. Haldol in my opinion is never the first choice for an 85 year old women. ty for your comment.
I wanted to tell you that I'm concerned about the staffing level, the bedsores, the absence of the primary care doctor, and what plans were made to address the ADL issue when they rejected your plan.
I'm not getting the impression this place offers the greatest level of care. Are YOU satisfied with it?
If you're not, make it obvious by taking notes on everything that you're documenting. They won't know why, but word will get passed around that you are. I've overheard staff commenting when I take notes; the tone of voice suggested some concern.
I've also found that if I don't document and don't address issues right away, problems can occur more easily, meds that are unnecessary or inappropriate are given, and it's harder to reverse than having meetings with staff right away and setting the standards (i.e., in our case, NO substitutions for meds prescribed by the regular treating physicians).
But it doesn't have to be the end of the world, you know. She is extremely lucky that she can continue to enjoy your companionship and a good range of activities, but in a setting where she has the professional health care team she needs now.
Also, it's early days; and as she becomes more settled in the NH she may well begin to feel better - all that disruption on top of convalescence from a nasty infection (by the sound of it, that is) is bound to have been a setback for her. So why not ask her doctors - next week is it? - if they don't think it a good idea to wait and see before they prescribe.
The Haldol on that one upsetting occasion will have been given to make her easier to manage - but for the very good reason that the paramedics' job was to get her safely and rapidly to hospital and they couldn't take the risk that she might freak out on them en route. I appreciate that it's a shocking thing to see a drug whacked into someone you care about, willy-nilly like that; but it was the safe course of action.
Citalopram works by regulating the amount of a specific brain chemical called serotonin which is an important factor in controlling mood. It is one of a family of drugs called Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, SSRIs. It is a safe, clean and effective medication in extremely widespread use across the whole population, young and old; and it would probably help Virginia. But if she and her doctors and you felt it wasn't helping, it could be withdrawn safely. It isn't addictive, in that you don't need more and more of it to work and you wouldn't get withdrawal symptoms. The reason it shouldn't be stopped suddenly - cold turkey, if you like - is that the level of serotonin in the brain would plummet if you did that, and abrupt changes aren't what you want. But it wouldn't take long to withdraw a 10mg daily dose in any case.
I think it is difficult to separate out anxiety and depression. I've never found it a very helpful distinction. The person feels wretched - is that because she is anxious, depressed, or both? It's a bit like asking someone to describe physical pain - is it stabbing, wrenching, aching, shooting... It just hurts!
You describe Virginia talking loudly and trying to get the aides' attention because she can't go anywhere without help. You think it's a feeling of being trapped. Is she doing that while you're there? Does she appreciate that you're there? It's just that I'm trying to visualise what you describe, and it's a picture that could fit with dementia.
What was the crisis that took Virginia to the hospital? And was she living with you and your son at the time? - in her home or yours?
Yes thats the word i remember back in the 50's and 60's i think. I was thinking something like that no need for the depression part that whats scares me the sucisides that have ocured with antidepression drugs. TY