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I would schedule an appointment with her geriatrics/internist and investigate all possible sources of her pain.
Like the others have said, dementia patients are bad at being able to pinpoint their pain. That doesn't mean, however, that your mother should be taken to the ER every time she complains. I am 62 years old and wake up every single day of my life stooped over in back pain; it takes me 1 hour at least, and 2 ibuprofen to straighten up. That doesn't mean I need to be seen in the ER; it means I have chronic pain due to arthritis and that can't be 'fixed'. It is what it is. I don't have Alzheimers, however, so I keep the pain to myself and do what I have to do to minimize it.
In your case, take mom to her PCP for a full physical. If he deems her to be in fairly good health, then reserve the ER trips for what YOU deem to be true emergencies. I will never forget my mother insisting on going to the ER for black & blues she'd had on her arms. Honest to God. She would not stop carrying on until I took her; my father was getting surgery upstairs in the same hospital for a broken hip, and my mother was downstairs in the ER being seen for black & blues (while on blood thinners, I might add). The doctor looked at her and said, "What are you doing here, Josephine? I've never heard of a person coming to the ER for bruises. Go home." She had just started down the dementia highway when this incident took place. She is now over 4 years into it, and I've had her in the ER about 10 times since, but never for nonsensical reasons. Just last week she showed me about 4 black & blues on her arms and kept repeating, over and over again, what are these from? Oh my God, these are BAD. And the ER incident came to mind immediately. I told her to wear long sleeves and she wouldn't be reminded of the black & blues which were harmless. True story.
Wishing you all the best in sorting the real from the fabricated. Sending you a hug, too, because you probably need one.
Those were the good times. Now she screams out loudly in pain saying her knees hurt all the time. She lets out that exact same scream if my hands are cold when I change her diaper or if she wants the drapes closed. It's just her way of saying "hey".
Please see if you can get your mom qualified...it is a huge help.
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