I apology to those that feel I post too often. This thread hit a nerve with me.
My wife and I went though the decision to home care or place her mother in memory care facility just a couple years ago. It was a very hard and traumatic decision. In the end, each of us has to make the decision we feel is right for us and our loved one.
Sharons mother got to the point she would wander off, leave the stove burning, and thought people were breaking in while she slept and swapping her eggs out of her refrigerator. Several times someone found her wandering and brought her home to her apartment. Thankfully there were caring neighbors.
Something had to happen. At the time we were "poor" and living on SS only, and could not provide room or the care she needed.
We struggled with how to handle it, Sharon went out to Seattle (the airline donated a flight ticket for her) to stay with her for a while and after a few months it was clear it was more than Sharon could do. So, I flew out and we visited many facilities until we found one that was excellent.
She lived the rest of her life in comfort with good care providers. They provided transport and supervision to take her on "shopping" trips, trips to entertainment, etc. They made sure she got her medications, and all her needs were take care of. We do believe she was happier there than on her own or with us.
This is a difficult position to find one self in, but it happens. I will never criticize anyone for their decision on how to care for a loved one with any form of dementia. All we can do is do our best.
But, to suggest that a retired LEO was out of line for stepping in and making sure the person screaming was safe is about as far wrong as you can get in my not so humble opinion. It was EXACTLY the right thing to do. It is what we would have wanted for Sharon's mother if it had happened.
My suggestion was simply to provide certified identification to make it easy and fast for an LEO (or anyone) to KNOW what is going on.
|