A sigh of relief

Alan has been in the hospital now for a little over two weeks.  At first, he was angry and paranoid.  He ranted at us, walked away, and was generally agitated when we went to see him.  The last few times we have been there, however, he has been his old self - smiling, happy to see us - and the paranoia has been lessened.

Medication changes have worked their magic.  For now, the hallucinations, agitation, and demands for people to be arrested have receded.  Today, we had a meeting with the doctor, social worker from the behavioral unit, Alan's case manager, a care worker, and the director from his assisted living home.  This is truly a wonderful pairing of people to make plans for Alan, and assist us in the transition back to his apartment.

I cannot say enough about how important it is to find a group home or assisted living facility that is committed to the residents, and willing to work with families to make the living situation as appropriate as it can be.  We have been so fortunate to have found this assisted living program, and are extremely grateful for their commitment to Alan.

For now, we are breathing a sigh of relief, a spring has returned to our step, and we have hope of having more time with the delightful young man we have always known.  The doctor tempered his remarks today by telling us that we would likely have more hospitalizations to adjust medications.  This is our new reality as we deal with continued cognitive decline.  We are so thankful to have weathered this storm of anger, paranoia, and confusion.

Alan will be coming home tomorrow or the next day.  We've put in place some changes to help him.  He needs a strict schedule, fewer choices throughout his day, and 24 hour awake staff.  All these will be in place.  As his disease progresses, the schedule we institute now will give him a sense of security, and maybe he won't be as anxious.

I can't help but feel that we are living out the 23rd Psalm.  Some verses that speak to me today:

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He mades me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.
He restores my soul.

We are feeling the restorative power of resting in the peace of God today.


Comments

  1. You are the most amazing person; hands down.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow, praying the calm will remain and the storm blow over for now. May this be a really great Christmas tide for all of your family.

    ReplyDelete

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