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Thanks! I didn't know there were geriatric therapists. That's so cool. I'll definitely look into that. My grandma has excellent health coverage. She has Tri-Care (gov't/VA) through her deceased spouse, plus Humana & some other Medicare part ?? plan. Plus, she has a good amount of savings.
I was able to find a specialty medical practice for geriatric patients in her area & they have an existing relationship with the senior village where she lives. I know there are therapists in that same building, but I didn't see any that identified themselves as specializing in treating older adults, but perhaps the Aging Clinic will be able to help with that now that I know what to ask for.
The GP has not referred my grandmother to any providers for her memory issues. They don't believe it is Alzheimer's (although both her parents & most of her siblings -- all but 1 have passed on -- had it, so there's a strong chance she's in the early stages), but regardless of what it is, she gets confused by things that never used to confuse her & sometimes forgets what was said to her/she has said even within a half-hour conversation. She is very stubborn and probably would not be willing to do very much to try to prevent the memory problems from getting worse even if we found a specialist, so really we just need a provider that can work with her in spite of those issues by keeping language simple when explaining diagnoses, making recommendations or providing instructions. Grandma just can't keep up with a fast-paced conversation filled with medical jargon. She gets confused, then upset, then anxious & then starts freaking out again that she's going to "bleed in the brain". If it were a sitcom, it'd be a riot to watch, but since it's a loved one in real life, it just makes me sad.
My grandma was always there for me through the tough times. She's the only one in my family that is understanding about
stress & depression. Everyone else just wants to tell me to "get over" my past & that PTSD can be cured by willpower -- oh, how I wish that were true! -- but I have always been able to talk to my grandma about
things & usually feel better after she talks to me.
I'm a bit worried that if I don't find help for her soon, it won't really do much good as she'd either get too confused due to her memory issues or she'll be too entrenched in this phobia of movement. She called my uncle again today to ask to be taken to the ER because she was having a panic attack & convinced herself she was bleeding in the brain. That's the third time in one week. The irony, of course, is that when she really does have something wrong, she flat out refuses to go to the hospital & we practically have to drag her there. When she had a geriatric PCP, he knew that about
her & as soon as he'd get the call from the ER, he'd ask whether she was complaining bitterly or whether she was resisting treatment and if she was resisting treatment he'd order up a bunch of tests. Otherwise, he'd order some anxiety medicine & have them put her on the phone to talk to him so he could calm her down & explain that it was just an anxiety attack and they feel scary and awful but are actually harmless. I really liked it when he was her doctor. My grandma was the happiest she'd been in decades. She was more active at her senior community & would get on the train to come up for visits. I wish I could get her that doctor again, but we'll just have to hope & pray & see what I can cobble together. Hopefully now I know enough to find her someone good.
I really, truly appreciate the time you took to respond!
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