THE HEARTBREAK OF ALZHEIMER'S

A NIGHTMARE

Soon after he was moved to West Lafayette, a series of events occurred which I can only describe as a "nightmare."  I visited him daily and often had lunch there with him. He always seemed calm while I was with him, but the nurse said that he became agitated and pulled down curtains, shoved furniture and tried to get into other patients' rooms.  I didn't observe any of this type of behavior while I was visiting him and I have concluded that it was a reaction to being suddenly confined in a locked-in unit.  He had lived on a farm all of his life and had been free to move about anywhere and anytime he desired. I believe that being confined in a locked-in unit could have had a traumatic effect on him.

On June 2, the Care Center called and said they would like to send Ralph to Daybreak Center for Senior Psychiatric Services at Selby General Hospital, Marietta, Ohio for evaluation and treatment.  They assured me that they had sent other patients there and when they returned they were calmer and easy to manage.

Of course my daughters and I wanted to best possible care for him, so we agreed.  We trusted them to do what was best for him.

Although it was more than eighty miles from our home, I visited him several times. He was always calm, could walk about, feed himself and carry on a conversation while I was there.  H e recognized his sister, her husband and me when we visited him.

THE AFFIDAVIT

On June 7, 2001, five days after he was admitted to Daybreak Center at Selby General Hospital, Marietta, I received a certified letter from the Washington County Court at Marietta.  The letter contained a copy of an affidavit that had been filed in the court t here. It alleged that my husband, Ralph, was mentally ill.  A hearing had been scheduled for June 15, 2001, 8 a.m., and the court would decide if he were mentally ill and where he would be placed.  Copies of this ten-page document were sent to: Ron Rees, Washington County Mental Health and Addiction Recovery Board; Michael G. Spahr, Washington County Prosecutor; Dr. Tony Byler, Affiant and CCO; Rolf Baumgartel, Attorney for Respondent; and Mabel Pollock, Spouse.

I was greatly troubled by this turn of events. Ralph's condition had been diagnosed in 1966 by a Florida Neurologist as Alzheimer's. I believe that Alzheimer's IS a mental condition and many patients who have it become agitated and are usually treated with medications. I found it difficult to understand WHY they had scheduled a court hearing.