← Return to Dementia and Independence

Discussion

Dementia and Independence

Caregivers: Dementia | Last Active: Oct 20, 2019 | Replies (16)

Comment receiving replies
@becsbuddy

@coloradogirl Such difficult decisions you all have to make! Several ideas come to mind. Is there a transportation service in your town? Can you work with a taxi/Uber/Lyft to have the same person who takes her also bring her home? Maybe one driver would be willing to work out an agreement with you. Also, have your MIL wear a medic alert bracelet (or something she might like) with your address and phone number on it. Dementia is such a hard thing to work with. I’m sure you’ve had many difficult conversations with her. Your husband has said to let her try going alone—what are his plans if she doesn’t return?

Jump to this post


Replies to "@coloradogirl Such difficult decisions you all have to make! Several ideas come to mind. Is there..."

Thanks, @becsbuddy. That's exactly the hard part. My husband seems pretty convinced that the tantrums are just her personality and she'll be fine to get home by herself. And he might be right, I am just not sure. She locked herself out of our house yesterday and couldn't figure out how to get back in. (Could not remember the code and did not think to knock or ring the doorbell). I saw her peeking in my office window and went to get her. He's the primary decision-maker since it's his mother, and it's possible that I'm over-reacting, but I have also been home for the past 2 years while he traveled, so I watched her decline and lived with most of the tantrums.

There is a transportation service, and they would take her, stay with her, and bring her home, but she says that she doesn't want to pay for that. (Although they could afford it). I think she wants to be out on her own the way she would have been a few months ago. This is not so much about going places (because he would take her) but having the freedom to go alone and not having to be supervised.

She's so stubborn that I'm not sure I could get her to wear the bracelet but I will bring it up with him again and see if he's willing to broach the subject. Thanks for the advice.

I fixed it! I meant Lyft not Lufthansa! These auto corrections!