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Mike (Mary's husband) dies
By Mary's husband dying it sends her spiraling into depression and impairing her mental ability. By imparing her mental ability, Mary refuses to leave her house creating a grief filled atmosphere. This leads to friends and family shutting Mary out, also contributing to her downward spiral in dementia.
http://www.wikihow.com/Live-After-the-Death-of-a-Spouse -
Mary has dementia enduced hallucinations
Mary believes there is a woman who is stealing her letters and rough drafts of her books. She constantly hallucinates that Mike has come back yet forgotten her. She believes people are chasing her in her car and her forgetfulness leads to a great concern with her old friends.
http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Dementia_hallucinations_and_false_ideas -
Assumed diagnosis of dementia
<a href='' >http://www.helpguide.org/elder/alzheimers_dementias_types.htm</a>
Due to Mary's condition worsening, Tommy suggests their mother has dementia. Though it wasn't diagnosed properly by a medical professional, Mary strongly shows signs and symptoms. The thought of Ellie and Tommy's mother having dementia seems so profound until they recieve concerned phone calls from Mary's friends in fear of her safety. -
Moving Mary closer to Ellie and Mitch
Concerning phone calls lead to Ellie and Mitch moving Mary out to California to live closer to them, where Tommy will pay all their mother's living expenses. Moving Mary closer means that Ellie must begin her path as a care taker. Having Mary live a block away allows for further mental deterioration as she is in unfamiliar surroundings. -
Mary complains about being ill.
Due to Mary's excessive martini drinking and depression, as a result of Mike's death, Mary complains about stomach pain. After being to many doctors and gastrointestinal specialist accross the state there is no cure that has been found. Doctors recommend to cut alcohol and acidic foods out of her diet.
http://www.pssru.ac.uk/pdf/MCpdfs/Pain_factsheet.pdf
http://ehealthforum.com/health/alcohol-induced-gastritis-t239005.html -
Strain on Ellie and Mitch's relationship
Being a constant care giver to Mary makes it extremely hard for Ellie and Mitch to communicate, much les have a physical relationship. As stress piles up more fights arise and it almost becomes a breaking point in the relationship. Not only is there arguing in the relationship there is arguing between Mary and Mitch as well.
http://thestir.cafemom.com/love_sex/132088/5_most_common
_relationship_fights
http://www.agis.com/eldercare-basics/mental-and-physical-health/alzheimers/caring-for-someone-w -
Troubles coping
http://www.humanstress.ca/stress/trick-your-stress/steps-to-instant-stress-management.html
Ellie and Mitch have troubles coping with Mary's dementia which leads them to drinking excessively every day. As Mary has been cut off liquor she must cope with her pain by the medical marijuana prescription she obtains. Tommy copes with his mother's disease by only communicating to her about once away by a phone call. -
Ellie and Mitch move.
Ellie and Mitch decide it is too much work to have Mary living a block away, for this reason, they move into a house in which Mary can live with them too. The main thought and perspective is to be as close as possible to Mary, therefore, when Mary is in need of assistance, assistance is there. Ellie and Mitch believe this idea will work until it comes down to mvoing Mary in who will need to approve of her new surroundings. -
Thoughts of nursing home.
Ellie discusses with Tommy the thought of putting their mother into a nursing home and financing. Both of Mary's children know it will be no easy task but it must be done for the menal health of Ellie and Mitch. AT first Mary is reluctant to the idea until she feels as though she is moving in on Ellie and Mitch.
http://guides.wsj.com/health/elder-care/how-to-choose-a-nursing-home/ -
Cognitive evaluation.
http://www.ncnba.com/site/services/evaluation/cognitive-evaluation/
In order for Mary to be able to enter the nursing homme she must have a cognitive evaluation done to ensure she is mentally stable to be around other residence. All cognitive evaluations determine Mary is fit to be in a nursing home, therefore, Ellie and Mitch send out applications to many nursing homes. After many complications and only remains for a short period of time after having violent out breaks she is evicted. -
Behavioral issues
Mary's dementia causes her to have many emotional and violent outbreaks, as she sees everybody as a threat. At one point in her stay at the first nursing home she attacks a night cleaner passing by and bites him. At her most violent peaks she threatens other patients and is not allowed to be a resident at the Hostel no longer.
http://www.dementiacarecentral.com/caregiverinfo/behavior-problems -
Hostpitalization for psychiatric evaluation.
After Mary has been evicted from the Hostel it is strongly recommended that she has a psychiatric evaluation and is admitted to the local hospital. During this psychiatric evaluation the hospital staff strap Mary to her chair and bed preventing violent outbreaks. Not only does the family find this cruel and unhumaine when they visit Mary in the hospital, they soon realize that she is sedated by medication so heavily that she is not resembling herself. -
Discharge and detox from hospital
http://www.globalhealingcenter.
Ellie and Mitch pick up Mary at the hospital after a 10 day psychiatric evaluation is over and bring her back to live in their house again. As the doctor discharges Mary he gives Ellie a list of medication she is to remain on (which make her a completely different Mary), Ellie refuses to keep her mother on these medications and detox her. While detoxing Mary, Ellie and Mitch fully begin to see how the disease has affected her as well as how far gone she truly is. -
Search for specialized nursing homes
http://www.brookdaleliving.com/clare-bridge-alzheimers-demen
After just two months of Mary living with Ellie and Mitch she feels terrible about moving in on them and is mentally deteriorating more every day. This leads to the search for anotehr nursing home, though, this one must be specialized for dementia and Alzheimer's patients. More research is done and applications are handed out, leading to at least one nursing home accepting Mary as a resident disregarding her past of violent outbreaks. -
Sheffield House Success.
Mary is accepted to the Sheffeild House in California, where they specialize in dementia patients. At first Mary is not a fan of the nursing home because she realizes Mitch and Ellie will not be there. However, after the staff distracts her by games and meeting the other residence Mary begins to enjoy her stay. With fewer violent outbreaks, the Sheffeild House puts her on a minimal dosage medication to help, this medication allows Mary to still be herself.
