Oh gosh, that’s a difficult position, isn’t it, we need to help our parents transition into that next and perhaps final phase of their lives. I’ve been there too and it’s hard to accept for all parties involved. They were our bastions of strength and guidance all our lives and now the rolls are reversed. Our ‘inner’ child has a difficult time being an adult at that point…but we use what we’ve learned from them about empathy, responsibility and caring to provide the best, compassionate solutions for their longterm care. Still feels like a sucker punch though.

Those are the numbers I was looking for…ALP (alkaline phosphatase) and ALT. If the ALP results were high it can indicate some liver disease, which could be a culprit in her elevated ferritin levels. But her numbers are pretty normal.

So I’m sure there will be some more tests to determine what’s causing the iron imbalance. I hope the appetite stimulant helps her get some much needed nutrition and strength. And I also hope she adjusts to her new environment once she settles in a little more and feels familiar with people, makes some table mates with meals, and maybe gets involved in some of the activities in the Memory Care Facility.
We do have a group in Connect for Caregivers who have family members with dementia. https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/caregivers-dementia/
There are many conversations in this group with people who are in your same situation as caregiver that might offer you some suggestions to help her accept her new living arrangements.
I’d like to follow along with the ferritin issue. Let me know how she’s doing, ok?