u/Affectionate-Eye-355

I’m taking care of my dad on hospice with ALS. He has always had anxiety but never believed he needed medication. Now that he is getting a little more confused as his disease progresses, Ive noticed his agitation and anxiety skyrocket. He has started becoming kind of defiant when he’s in the hoyer lift or getting transferred to his wheelchair. (He still has movement in his arms and whole upper body). When the hospice nurse comes, they ask him if he is feeling anxious and he says “no never”. I guess what I’m asking is am I able to ask for anxiety meds and give them to his with his regular medication without his knowledge? Or is that unethical? He is making transferring him a little dangerous for both of us trying to move himself and twist his positioning. I can tell he’s just frustrated because he can’t really move. Other than his bouts of anxiety he still has complete mental function. Should I just power through without the anxiety meds?

My dad is reluctant to use the hoyer lift when he needs to transfer for the bathroom or shower. We have the mesh sling for the bathroom and a regular sling. He has no trouble with the regular sling, I think because it has 3 straps on each side. So it has support for his mid-section. The mesh sling he says he can’t breathe in, and I think that’s because it only has 2 straps on each side, which puts him in an L position. But the mesh sling has the proper cut out for the bathroom, so we are not really sure where to go from here. He still has the energy to shower and can support himself in the bathroom, he just can’t transfer on his feet anymore.

Any advice would be appreciated!