Mother on ssi dual diagnosis schizophrenia bipolar and dementia now what next

I just went to see my momma who is 65 and been diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar and now dementia. I became her guardian and pay for whatever she needs she gets $30 /month in the state of Ohio and her condition is the worst it’s been. The state nursing home is telling me that the can not force her to take her medication which is so crazy to me bc she is talking nasty to 7 people herself on 3 rd person and to ugly bitty in her head she talks about sex put load and then it’s horrible to hear. I need help and do state owned places take all the people money except $30/month is all she gets it’s very horrible

1 Like

Hello @Becky_Rankin and welcome to this site. I am so sorry that your mother is having such a hard time and is refusing her medication. I don’t know the rules about forcing medication in Ohio, but at least she is in care.

Yes, I have a friend in an assisted living/nursing home situation. Basically she had to become indigent and homeless and go to emergency with a broken leg in order to get into long term care as there are soooo many needy and sooooo few homes for them available in Connecticut. All of her social security disability except for a small amount of $30 to $75 a month is taken for paying the home where she is living. I consider my friend to be lucky even though she complains lots about not having much to spend herself, as she used to be homeless at 71 years old. A great social worker found her a bed straight from the hospital.

Hugs, come here to read and learn what might help you and your mother. Everyone here feels compassion for those with severe mental illness. Sometimes there is not a lot we can do except for hope.

I’m glad that your mother is in a home and not on the streets. So many here in Florida are on the streets with no hope of a stable place to live.

3 Likes

@oldladyblue is exactly right, the only thing I would add is that as your mother’s legal guardian, you could go ask the judge who granted you the guardianship to order forced meds for your mother.

Forced meds aren’t easy to get our family members to take even with a judge’s order.

My MIL who had schizophrenia had vascular dementia, the main med that helped her was Valium - which she took readily. Is there any med your mom would like to take?

3 Likes

Honestly she is so out of her mind right now she chants all the time now and feels like the medication is poison it’s so freakin crazy she highs lows ups and downs and recently about died in icu so I wonder if that may have caused the onset of all these voices I thought at one time she could live with me but I don’t have the skill nursing she needs and she put herself in this home and I’m so grateful she did get a place she feels ok in. It’s so so so sad it breaks my heart :heart:

1 Like

My MIL didn’t remember the times when her brain was ramped up. Maybe it is the same for your mom. My son had cancer brain mets at the end of his life. The last week of his life the mets would flare up off and on and it was exactly like psychosis - because it was psychosis. The hospice nurses told me they had seen it many times before with brain metastasis. The inpatient hospice facility nurses had a lot of experience with brain and bone mets as both can need a great deal of more medical support than can be provided in at home hospice.

I hope it can continue to bring you some comfort that she did put herself in a place she chose for herself. Maybe her brain is on autopilot and she is in a safe place mentally during psychosis.

2 Likes

@Becky_Rankin , do try to be kind to yourself during this rough emotional time. I neglected myself so badly at times during the roughest parts of my daughter’s psychosis. Having your mom in a safe place that she chose herself is such a good situation. Care at home requires a super great amount of energy from a caregiver, so this is probably best for both of you.

@hope , you were a warrior to help your son as much as you did through is his medical and mental issues. The inpatient hospice facility and staff were a blessing.

2 Likes

Hello, the money sounds about right. My daughter got about that much when she started getting disability and the she had to buy stuff like vitamins and hair care and soaps. And if the had any places to go to like movies or bowling she had to pay for that also or she would be stuck staying in the whole time.
You might want to look into getting a court order for her to take her meds. I am surprised they didn’t tell you that there, it would be to there benefit to have her calmed down and maybe feeling better.