Can Family Intervene?

[libra58]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? NJ Long story short. My Sister was diagnosed with Early Onset Alzheimers aprx. 8 yrs ago. She is 56 and is has been married for 30+ yrs to a horrible man. As a family We now know Her husband is not providing the medical care Her now rapidly declining condition warrants.(discovery of outdated, not refilled and unused prescriptions, refusing to take Her to ER recommended specialists, having diagnostic tests,etc.) Currently She does not recognize her immediate family members..not even Her only son. She has lost any/all ability to function,has become incapable of speaking and only makes distressed or agitated sounds, requires hand feeding and is in diapers.She is "cared" for by Her Husband and His 84 yr. old mother that shares the home, with the exception of the times they bring Her to My Mothers,which has resulted in calls to 911 the past 3 times,She does not recall the Home she grew up in or understand She is with Family and becomes panicked to a state of epic proportions . Are their any steps We can take to force the release of Her medical records to a specialist of our choosing at our expense for review? Her Husband refuses to provide any details or information regarding Her medical condition and what if anything is being done to help Her...His last statement to My Mother was that Her primary phys. felt that the most recent medical issues could a result of a serious thyroid problem, but "HE" (husband) decided in his infinite wisdom the decline was solely another stage of alz. ..hence He had no intent to take Her to the endocrinologist ...She has a history of thyroid imbalance..I believe His only reason for not taking Her is due to the fact tests will reveal She has not been getting Her medications....What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?

 

[LdiJ]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? NJ Long story short. My Sister was diagnosed with Early Onset Alzheimers aprx. 8 yrs ago. She is 56 and is has been married for 30+ yrs to a horrible man. As a family We now know Her husband is not providing the medical care Her now rapidly declining condition warrants.(discovery of outdated, not refilled and unused prescriptions, refusing to take Her to ER recommended specialists, having diagnostic tests,etc.) Currently She does not recognize her immediate family members..not even Her only son. She has lost any/all ability to function,has become incapable of speaking and only makes distressed or agitated sounds, requires hand feeding and is in diapers.She is "cared" for by Her Husband and His 84 yr. old mother that shares the home, with the exception of the times they bring Her to My Mothers,which has resulted in calls to 911 the past 3 times,She does not recall the Home she grew up in or understand She is with Family and becomes panicked to a state of epic proportions . Are their any steps We can take to force the release of Her medical records to a specialist of our choosing at our expense for review? Her Husband refuses to provide any details or information regarding Her medical condition and what if anything is being done to help Her...His last statement to My Mother was that Her primary phys. felt that the most recent medical issues could a result of a serious thyroid problem, but "HE" (husband) decided in his infinite wisdom the decline was solely another stage of alz. ..hence He had no intent to take Her to the endocrinologist ...She has a history of thyroid imbalance..I believe His only reason for not taking Her is due to the fact tests will reveal She has not been getting Her medications....What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?

I will tell you honestly, having lost a father to alzheimers just a little over a year ago, that if your sister is to the stage where she cannot even talk, requires hand feeding and is in diapers, then any alzheimers meds will do nothing for her. If she is supposed to be taking meds for any other medical conditions then that might be a different story, but you need to be prepared that you may lose her quite soon.

However, you could also report her husband to whatever agency in your county that handles elder abuse as well. That might get a caseworker involved that could keep an eye on what is going on.

It is very difficult to be the caretaker of an advanced alzheimers patient. We honestly did not grasp what all my mother was going through until after my father passed away.

 

[libra58]

Firstly, I offer My Sincere Condolence To You For the Loss of Your Father...I can only imagine How difficult it was..I can not fathom the loss of My Sister at Her Age..She is only a few years older than I am. The alz. in and of itself is devastating to family members, compounded by the dilemma of the type of person My Sister is married to there is a lot of backstory I won't go into, I will say She and Her Son deserved a far better life..We(Mother & Siblings) have discussed the situation on numerous occasions lately ..We are concerned with My Sisters Husbands adverse reaction and reluctance to discuss our questions / concerns and have actually become worried about His attitude concerning any attempt to discuss My Sister...It's like He resents Her and Us, She's not like this because She wants to be, He acts like She's in this state just to spite Him, it's so messed up... Again My Condolences for Your loss..and Thank You For suggesting the Elder Abuse, I'm going to research into that right away, Thank -You.