EW, good idea...

dots, thanks for the reminder. The neuro-psychiatrist I've been thinking about works mostly with the elderly. But, I will keep in mind that she needs to be seen by a gerontologist, if the N-P isn't the one we take her to.

I visited Mother again today. She's loosing her eyesight so rapidly. She was already a victim of a botched cataract surgery in one eye, but now she is not seeing well with her better eye. Unless she can hear your voice, feel you, or make another non-visual association, you have to tell her who you are. She looked good today, tho, more awake than during the last two visits. I think this is good news.
When I was feeding her some yogurt, she would roll it around in her mouth a few times before swallowing. My sister said she was trying to find if a pill was hidden in it. I blurted out rather loudly, 'Bless her heart,' and 'Good for you, Mother.' Think the message was well taken?

I miss my mom already, and she's not even gone.

gims,
my sister and I are convinced it was the "side" effects of the meds that destroyed our mom's vision.
The message was most likely understood anyway!
dots -- my mom's doc is a respected geriatrician. And yet he prescribes things that a simple google search says shold not be prescribed to the elderly (like Ambien).

gims, interesting that your sister would make that comment. IT proves it's happened in the past and that she's suspicious.

When they are paranoid about taking meds and being poisoned, as my loved one has been, they will actuall pretend to swallow, but keep the pill hidden in the mouth until no one's looking and they put it a kleenex. A pill fell out of my loved ones mothw while talking abbout 15 minutes after he supposedly took it.

I'm glad you're back in your mom's life. There's a reason for it!

DJ, keep doing the online research. It's so helpful. We alerted Mom's doctor of a new cancer drug he'd not yet heard about. Unfortunately, it wasn't perfect for her, but he was glad to learn about it for other patients. I know it's crazy, but some doctors don't have time to read all the journals and sufr the net for the latest so we have to do it for them.

Small point, but have always understand geriatrician is the physician that specializes in medical care of the elderly and diseases/disorders associated with aging.

Gerontology can include the above but more the sociological study of aging. How society treats the elderly, the support systems, law, relationships with elderly, etc.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/mplusdictionary.html

Gerontology:
the comprehensive study of aging and the problems of the aged

Geriatrician:
One who specializes in geriatrics.:
1 ge•ri•at•rics plural but singular in construction : a branch of medicine that deals with the problems and diseases of old age and aging people

orchid, thanks for the clarification.

DJ, my goal is to get her in a place to where she can be supervised while being weaned. The last med prescribed is a doozy, from what I understand. It literally makes using her arms and legs pret' near impossible.
Another sister and I are figuring out a way to make this workable. She and I are the only two in-state, who feel the need to protect her. It may mean me going to live at 'the big house'... I'm the only one in-state that has a stable marriage, and it may come down to me leaving my home (albeit temporary). Isn't that ironic? Thanks for your encouraging words. I hope what proved true for your mom will be the same for ours.

You apparently read into the comment exactly what I did.
Me, too. Thanks!


Gerontology vs. Geriatrics - I stand corrected, too, much aware of the difference, but not thinking clearly ---- think I'm needing a geriatrician?

gims, I think of you often as we tend to our fathers. So many boomers are jumping thorugh hoops for their parents. I always heard that when you were pretty much finished taking care of your kids, you end up caring for your parents. I heard it, but didn't absorb it. Now I'm absorbing and living it.

Term is geriatrician...however they are specialists not found in abundance...yet.

gims -- what drug is that? Pretty scary. I keep saying to my sibs, don't wish for her what you wouldn't want for yourself. If I were 91 years old, I'd want to tell everyone to just let me live my life. If I managed to live that long, why would I want to care about my "safety" if it meant I had no freedom to choose?