Mom is 92 yrs old and she has congestive heart failure (ejection fraction 20%), COPD, and fronto-temporal dementia. This weekend she took a huge cognitive decline. Sometime during the night on Saturday, she took off her Depends undergarment and defecated on the floor of her bedroom in three different spots. And by that I mean she squat down and just went in her room. She did it again in our kitchen, then failed to even wipe herself, so when I found her she was wrapped in her robe and covered in fecal matter all over her rear and back. It was all over her bed, her recliner, etc. I got her into the bathroom and as I was turning on the shower, she peed on the floor while she was standing there, and it didn't even register with her that she had just messed on the floor. After getting her cleaned up, she was agitated and angry that we were making such a fuss about cleaning her room. This morning, at 3 am, she managed to turn on the television set (again, while we were asleep), and then thought it was a window. She thought the people on the tv (newscasters) were talking to her through the window and telling her that me, my husband, and our kids were missing or something to that effect. She became hysterical and started screaming out all our names and wandering around the dining room sobbing. She woke the whole house up - me, my husband, our kids (oldest is 10). And quite frankly, she scared the crap out of our children. Should we be calling an ambulance when these things happen? I know these are dementia symptoms but have no idea if a hospital would accept her when these things escalate. Yes, we're in the process of getting her into a memory care unit. But it's going to take time. In the meantime, when things escalate is there anything a hospital can do for her or are we on our own?
A sudden change in mental status is an emergency and may have a medical cause (stroke/UTI) that can be addressed. What meds is she on?
If nothing else, admission to the hospital will speed up placement.
So, can she get into a NH while waiting for a MC room?
I am not a fan of calling 911, unless there is a life threatening event happening. What's happening is horrifying, but perhaps you should take her to the ER in the morning and see what they find. Could be a UTI, as already mentioned. Or get her in to see her regular doc. Somebody, but I don't know if she needs a ride in an ambulance. Unless she refuses to get in the car with you for appointments?
How long do you expect the MC room process to take?
Best of luck....I am sorry you are having to deal with such a tough situation. It sure isn't easy, I know
If this is the new "normal", your family needs to decide if she can still live with you. All members of the family need to be able to meet their basic needs for cleanliness, nutrition, rest and interaction with others. If your needs or other members of the family can not do this, then something needs to change. Maybe you want to hire a sitter at night to help mom while you sleep. Maybe she needs to live in LTC. Check her insurance and resources and have a family meeting. Make sure whoever has POA attends, because that person will need to implement the new plan.