by M. L. Kiser

Created on: June 07, 2008

In 2003, my father died with Alzheimer's disease. He was still physically spry and sometimes almost hyperactive. We regrettably had to put him in a nursing home because, as caregivers, we were so exhausted. I was at the point where, many days, I couldn't recall if I'd given him his medications or not. I had to be diligent about writing down what I'd given him and the dosage and times. There were two of us caregivers then and we needed four, around the clock.

One of the most stressful issues for our family was when Dad was getting really difficult to deal with. Both his neuropsychiatrist and physician would repeatedly tell us to just, "Call the paramedics and let them take him to the hospital." This is the worst advice. It always resulted in him getting even worse and after several times, we finally came to the conclusion that hospitals have no clue, what to do with Alzheimer's patients.

The first thing they would do was to tie Dad down with wrist straps or an apron, somewhere in the psych ward. This is by far, the worst thing they can do as it often results in more aggression and serves to send the patient mentally spiraling downhill much faster. Most hospitals aren't equipped or designed to handle "wanderers", of which Dad was one.

It was hard on us kids and other family members, seeing him tied in a bed like a captive animal and constantly begging us to let him loose. He would get angrier and angrier with us because we wouldn't and there was absolutely, no explaining to him why he had been treated so cruelly. Because most hospitals don't have Alzheimer's Units, he was forced to stay tied in order to keep him from wandering off or into another patient's room.

Time and again, my Dad would come home more disoriented and confused than when he left. The fact that he was tied in a bed and on a catheter was demeaning to him. It was very difficult for him to lie there when he had been such an active and independent person throughout his entire life.

Dad would watch TV, but often, he wasn't allowed to because the general belief among the staff and doctors was that pictures and television confused Alzheimer's patients. This was not the case with Dad; he could still enjoy a show or game. Getting bored while tied down and in pain, would often irritate him even more and sometimes when we arrived at the hospital, he was more agitated, confused and disoriented because of his circumstances than he would have been if he had been allowed to watch TV.

The doctors and staff would

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