What would you have done if you were C.J. Cregg and were in the middle of a speech to your high school alumni, your father, Tal was deteriorating from Alzheimer's disease with no dependable support, and you were needed back at work? Would your priorities have been different? I guess it helped having her father standing there with his third wife, Molly, but how long is Molly going to stick around? Don't you wonder if she'll run back to her daughter's house again when caring for Tal becomes difficult? I felt sorry for Molly. What a sad love story! She had waited a long time to be with Tal and when she finally has him he's slowly leaving her due to some dam disease. I would be angry, too. I watched my Grandmother die in about six years from Alzheimer's disease. She was able to write a very sweet letter to me in 1995 and by 2001 when she passed, she didn't know who I was. Alzheimer's Disease is a good nickname for a long & often sad good-bye. It is so devastating for families.
So as a professional what would I recommend C.J. do if she called me asking for direction? I don't agree with the advice Tal's doctor friend gave her. Yes, put him on medication(s) to help slow the progression of Alzheimer's Disease, but if she takes him out of his home environment he will deteriorate at an alarming rate. I have two clients with Dementia where their families are looking at putting them in an assisted living and it breaks my heart, because I know they will deteriorate fast. One of the clients has lived in her home for over thirty years and has has Dementia. However, she is high functioning in her current environment, probably just out of habit formed over decades. The last time I did a home visit she was making coffee. If you move her, she will have difficulty even remembering where the new bathroom is. However, there comes a time when you have to do what is best for you, the caregiver and neither of my clients should be left alone at this point. However, Tal appears to be in the middle stages of Alzheimer's Disease and I feel C.J. should try to keep him at home for a long as its financially feasible and as long as he's safe. I'm not saying he should be alone and please disconnect the stove, take his car keys, and remove all cigarette lighters before something bad happens!
First, C.J. needs to know what his financial situation is. What is his income? Does he have assets? Can he afford private in-home care? Does he have a POA and a living will, while he maybe competent enough to sign these important legal forms. She should contact their local Area Agency on Aging in Dayton and see what resources they have. Do they have waiting lists? She should also contact the local Alzheimer's Association and inquire about their resources. Oh, and she should let them know where she works. I hate to say it, but she will get help fast! I've seen how people jump when a staffer from a state representative's office calls for help. Imagine if it's someone calling from the White House. Does he qualify for a medicaid waiver program, such as PASSPORT or Pace? If she does want to look at a long-term care facility can he afford assisted living? Does he need more care than what an assisted living facility can offer? What does his third wife, Molly want to do? She is entitled to his income and assets as his wife. Does she want to keep him at home and care for him, so they don't go through all of their assets with more formal care? What does her financial situation look for her long-term care needs? Does he have long-term care insurance? Since C.J. has financial resources, she could hire a private case manager to help her get the resources into her father's home to care for him or help her look for a facility. She could also consider moving him closer to her in D.C., especially if his third wife doesn't want to care for him. Is C.J. an only child? If not, she should involve her siblings in any decisions.One last thing I would tell C.J. is if she is looking at an assisted living facility, I would recommend choosing one where they have all levels of care, so once her father needs skilled or intermediate care he can stay there on the grounds and he doesn't have to move to a whole new facility.She should also be sure to involve her father in any decision making.
Boy, I don't know if I'd be much help to C.J. It's a VERY tough situation to be in. It's not an easy transition from child to being responsible for making decision for your parents. As a professional, you can't make decisions for clients and you should start where your client and their family members are. C.J. and her father are in the beginning stages in what they are going to do. It is difficult enough to face the diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease. You can only share your knowledge with clients and their family members and if they use it, great, if not, there is not much you can do. I tend to give clients and their family members a lot of information they can use to base their decisions off of. I guess that is one area where I did agree with Tal's doctor friend's advice. C.J. definitely needs to get her father help now and not wait until after another crisis has occurred.
"The Long Goodbye." The West Wing: season 4, episode 78. Baitz. Dir. Alex Graves
NBC, 2003. DVD.
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