Follow
Share
Read More
This question has been closed for answers. Ask a New Question.
We had put my dad in a memory care place which was closer to my moms house. To be fair, it probably was not the level of care he required at the time, but their intake nurses said they could handle it. But we should have been smarter.

While there, one of the many issues that occurred (along with going into his room to find oxygen thing was out of nose, finding another belligerent man sitting in room looking at him, not giving him thickened liquids) was we could not locate his partial denture. (one of those things like a retainer with just one tooth on it to fill one gap). They claimed they looked all over for it but could not find it.

We eventually moved him to a SNF which he should have been in to begin with, and on intake one of the first things they found was the partial denture in the back of his mouth.
I was livid. He could have swallowed and choked on it.

This memory care had a deal where you first five thousand dollar payment, plus 500 would be refunded if you were not happy within 30 days.

I wrote a letter requiring said refund expecting it would be a battle and we had a check for $5500 the very next week.

I am guessing they knew they had a losing battle.

Anyway, I can understand your anger. I did not know about the federal regulation saying such things had to be attended to in 24 hours

Off point, but I feared that having put my dad in that place took a few weeks off his life. His first couple days they did not have the prescribed thickened liquids so he was basically dehydrating, though they tried to fee him applesauce

The visiting MD who made rounds for the place was livid, then told me off to the side that she in effect works for the place, so keep this quiet, but she said get your dad out of here. We took him to a very nice SNF that was 100% paid for because he was a vet on hospice. The earlier social workers had never told us about that either, otherwise he could have been in there earlier.
Helpful Answer (1)
Report

I have to tell you that this happens at home, not just in Nursing homes. My dad's dentures and glasses were regularly "borrowed" by other residents - just roaming around the facility.
I take care of my mother 7x24, in her home. She has accidentally thrown out dental appliances and lost a hearing aid, all by herself. I now try to check on all of them after meals, before bedtime etc. It's a constant challenge. My sister and I have made the decision that we will not purchase any more replacements at this point.
Helpful Answer (4)
Report
NeedHelpWithMom Jan 2020
True, happened all the time with my brother.

My brother would toss his teeth and put his eyeglasses in his back pocket and sit on them!
(0)
Report
Hi. I've gone through something similar but not exactly sorry. This is a tough one and I'm still struggling to find a way to deal with this. I'm a caregiver for my mom who has had dentures for most of her senior life and then all of a sudden she lost her remaining teeth due to infection and then was unable to wear her dentures again. I was promised by the hospital they would re-fit her new dentures and they would give me a call. I waited 6 months and realized they took her off the list simply because she was a dementia patient and didn't bother informing me. I still plan on dealing with them in the near future. Nonetheless my mom has now been without dentures for over a year and has been declining ever since and I can barely watch it without destroying myself in the process. The community supports here in Canada are also very poor for these matters. Sorry for what you are going through but in some cases nursing homes simply don't provide the attention each resident needs. A hard reality I am facing now.
Helpful Answer (2)
Report

OMG!!! I can soooo totally relate to your pain, AND this issue. My (now) 97 year old mother lost....wait for it.....4 lower dentures over the span of 18 months. Even though the dentist was very understanding, each replacement was in the vein of at least $900. The loss was totally my mother's doing. She has advanced dementia and would take out her dentures and for one reason or another (maybe she didn't like the fit or something, no matter how many times we took her back for adjustments), she would put the lower into a tissue and then into her robe. By her own admission, she just thought they kept getting thrown into the toilet, or the trash. The aides were wonderful and tried to check all of the bins before tossing trash but never, ever were any of those dentures found. Like another poster, she used to know how to use the Seabond liners but eventually she couldn't figure out what they were, or how they worked, and her advanced dementia made it impossible to hold her responsible. Finally, on both our financial ability and doctor's recommendation, we made the difficult decision not to replace the lowers. She has not lost her uppers, probably because that is such a visible loss, and there is only one to care for in one case. I'm so sorry you have to go through this, as it is not just financially impactful but if you are like me, there is guilt that she doesn't have a full set of teeth. But, the final time we made the new ones was really too much for her, getting the mold made, going back multiple times for fittings, etc. So, sadly, that is how we have dealt with this very difficult situation. Hugs to you as this stuff is hard.
Helpful Answer (1)
Report

My mother has upper denture and a partial lower denture. We noticed she was not wearing her lower months ago. When asked about it, she said something broke. Mom suffered from viral encephalitis 4 years ago which affected her memory, organizational skills, etc. She could also be experiencing early onset dementia. I think Mom accidentally threw it out. My sister and I have tried to find out who she may have seen for her dentures, but Mom doesn't remember and we can't find any old records at the house. My sister even used her POA documents to call a few placed in town to try and locate where Mom got dental care, but no results. She gets agitated and says she doesn't want to go get new lower denture because they will pull the rest of her teeth. (She swears a doctor told her recently of this decision!) In the meantime, she takes forever to eat her meals but acts likes nothing is wrong. My sister wants to "fix" the situation, but I say it is what it is. This is a very basic assisted living facility in a small town that takes really good care of their residents. My bigger fears are the little slips and falls she is having and her growing confusion over medications. (She had 7-10 day antibiotic for UTI, but she thinks she should continue to get it and they are denying it. She is also perplexed if her endocrinologist adjusts her insulin dosages.) Her inability to understand meds and frequent falls (even without injury) could get her disqualified for the facility. Our only other option in her hometown is the nursing home, which would devastate her.
Helpful Answer (0)
Report

This question has been closed for answers. Ask a New Question.
Ask a Question
Subscribe to
Our Newsletter