1. < Caregivers: Dementia

Taking short excursions outside of the nursing home

Posted by sarab26 @sarab26, Mar 14 2:26pm

My loved one is in a Memory Care Unit. I have taken him out for short periods of time every week. Now my family is telling me that He can no longer go out because he gets "extremely agitated and disruptive". I have never witnessed this, when we return to the unit, I stay with him for 1/2 to 45 minutes without any issues. The unit is an older building without any windows for patients to look out and during winter months are not getting any fresh air. My loved one is in the middle stages of dementia and really enjoys the short outings. He gets very excited to "actually see the sun and be outside". Can one become agitated by an excursion several hours after they return? Or is it just a way for the family to limit his quality of life.

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Mentor
Becky, Volunteer Mentor | @becsbuddy | Mar 14 7:06pm

@sarab26 Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect! You’ve come to the right place! This discussion group has an amazing group of members, as I’m sure you will find out.
The family is telling you that your husband gets agitated and disruptive after he has gone for a nice day with you? How do they know? What has the staff told you about his behavior after the outings? Maybe you could set up a meeting with the staff to discuss the situation. Remember, you are your husband’s advocate!
If you could no longer take him out, because the staff said he was disruptive, what do you think you would do instead? Does the facility have any access to the outdoors?

REPLY
1 reply
sarab26 | @sarab26 | Mar 15 9:36am
In reply to @becsbuddy "@sarab26 Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect! You’ve come to the right place! This discussion group has..." + (show)
@becsbuddy

@sarab26 Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect! You’ve come to the right place! This discussion group has an amazing group of members, as I’m sure you will find out.
The family is telling you that your husband gets agitated and disruptive after he has gone for a nice day with you? How do they know? What has the staff told you about his behavior after the outings? Maybe you could set up a meeting with the staff to discuss the situation. Remember, you are your husband’s advocate!
If you could no longer take him out, because the staff said he was disruptive, what do you think you would do instead? Does the facility have any access to the outdoors?

Jump to this post

This person is not my husband, but a family member. I do not have the POA and they will not allow the memory care unit give me any information. Most of the information I hear are blanket statements. I do not trust the staff at the unit. I believe they are over medicating the residents. There are red flags all over the place, and yes, they have been reported to the state. There is a small outdoor patio, enclosed by the walls of the building. It is overgrown, with a large tree and a lot of weeds, filled with dead leaves from last fall. I can take him out there, but it is not comfortable or inviting. I’m just wondering if others take their loved ones at for short periods of time.

REPLY
1 reply
Mentor
Becky, Volunteer Mentor | @becsbuddy | Mar 17 11:23am
In reply to @sarab26 "This person is not my husband, but a family member. I do not have the POA..." + (show)
@sarab26

This person is not my husband, but a family member. I do not have the POA and they will not allow the memory care unit give me any information. Most of the information I hear are blanket statements. I do not trust the staff at the unit. I believe they are over medicating the residents. There are red flags all over the place, and yes, they have been reported to the state. There is a small outdoor patio, enclosed by the walls of the building. It is overgrown, with a large tree and a lot of weeds, filled with dead leaves from last fall. I can take him out there, but it is not comfortable or inviting. I’m just wondering if others take their loved ones at for short periods of time.

Jump to this post

@sarab26 any changes in the situation?

REPLY
sarab26 | @sarab26 | Mar 17 11:50am

No. I was hoping for feedback on whether it is unusual for someone to have negative or combative behavior in response to something that happened several hours previously. For instance, going for an outing (ride in a car/ sitting on a park bench) then returning and five hours later exhibiting combative behaviors and high anxiety.

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