Dear Kdesfjar:
A few questions you need to answer regarding your mother:
Is she a danger to herself and others?
If she is a danger, is the threat immediate and how serious (forgetting to
turn off the stove)
How are her cognitve skills -Does she know what day it? Who the President
is? Where she lives? What time of day it is? These are questions included in
the Mini Mental Status Examination (MMSE) to determine whether a person is
functioning at a level to allow for self- determination.
If her cognitive skills are in-tact (she can answer questions above) then
you may have very little recourse at this time. Of course you are concerned,
but there are laws which protect an individual's right to
self-determination.
If on the other hand, if she cannot answer the questions above then it may
be time to take her to a Geriatric Assessment Doctor (usually located within
major hospitals). If she refuses to go, and she is in imminent danger to her
self or others-you should contact Adult Protective Services, an emergency
service located in your county's Area Agency of Agency (all COUNTIES IN USA
HAVE THESE GOVERNMENT OFFICES). If they agree with you at least initially,
they will send a caseworker to investigate and based on his/her finidings
your mother can be involuntarilary committed for psych evaluation. The
evaluation may make recommendations to the court that your mother is
incapacitated and that a guardian should be appointed to oversee her affairs
and to sign papers to have her institutionalized in a nursing home, etc.
Debbie Sulli
djsulli@gte.net
----- Original Message -----
From: <kdesjar@rcsreg.com>
To: <caretalk@asktransitions.com>
Sent: March, 23, 2001 6:49 PM
Subject: Question: Advice on issues concerning my Elderly parent
> I am in desperate need of advice on how to handle several issues with my
> elderly Mother. Mother is 76, living alone and is mental depressed and
> is physically unwell. Some of her problems: She has lost 75 lbs in a
> year. She has severe hearing loss(the family has bought her hearing
> aids, she won't use). She has had partial dentures put in(never been to
> a dentist in her lifetime)and won't go back for necessary adjustments.
> She has not seen a physician(regular doctor)for 42 years(last baby)and
> refuses to go for a checkup. Financially she has run up several credit
> cards to the limit and will not admit she is in trouble. Her house is
> paid for and she could sell and move to a smaller house, but she thinks
> my Dad's spirit lives at the house(he died 25 years ago)and she won't
> leave. The family has offered to have her live with any one of us-she
> refuses. The question is-do we wait until an ambulance is called because
> she won't be looked at by Doctor's? How do we handle her housing
> situation as she can't keep up the house? Thanks for the advice
>
>
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