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It was the worst thing I have ever experienced. Having to decide that assisted living was the only solution to our mom's living situation took much angst, soul searching and tough financial decisions between me and my 3 siblings. Mom begged and pleaded to remain at home. We desperately tried to make that possible. We ran ourselves ragged handling mom's house, her care and her frequent panicked phone calls and emergency room visits. My sister was convinced that mom would never do well in assisted living and we both had huge financial questions. It took an accident for us to finally commit to the assisted living solution. Three months ago, Mom took a fall and fractured her knee. She couldn't do anything for herself. Being forced into making the decision to move mom to AL was the best decision we ever made. The past three months were very stressful. Mom became depressed and delusional. We were all on the verge of nervous breakdowns. This wasn't turning out well at all. The staff at the AL had warned us that the adjustment period would be rough on everyone, but I could not conceive just how rough it would be. Then, a miracle happened. It seemed like overnight mom started to realize that she liked being there. People were giving her 24/7 attention. She began to gain weight and the physical therapy department helped her to go from a wheel chair to a walker. There are so many people around her and the staff is beyond wonderful. The nursing staff looks after mom's medical needs and keeps in touch with her physician. She is taking her medications regularly and it has made a world of difference. Although she is still struggling with dementia, she is in a place where the people know how to care for her. I am so, so thankful. We had to sell mom's house to be able to afford this, but in the end it is totally worth ever dime we spend.

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So happy to read that your Mother has finally adjusted to living in Assisted Living.   Yes, it can take time to adjust.   Wonder if your Mother made some new BBF?   Sometimes that can make all the difference in the world.

When it comes to elders, we never know if they will go willingly to a senior living complex or not.   My Mom would never step foot in one, but it took a medical crises for her to go, which seems to be the norm... unfortunately I don't think my Mom knew she was in a nursing home... she thought she was in a motel and that I had a room down the hall from her.... [sigh].
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aferrino, loved reading about this. I know you were dreading the way that it was going. The staff there must be wonderful and patient. I imagine that it helped a lot in helping her to adjust. I loved reading that she had gotten back up on her walker.
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