Wednesday, November 19, 2008
I've visited Mom after work for the last two days. Yesterday she ate a few bites of dinner then fell fast asleep. Tonight she did the same but woke up near the end of the meal. Her pills are given to her crushed up in yogurt. She ate this mixture readily so I asked for a dish of yogurt. Mom ate the entire dish of yogurt plus a dish of ice cream. Now I wonder if anything would have been offered had I not been there to ask? Before leaving I gave her a hand massage in front of the fire where it was nice and warm. She seemed to enjoy that while she dozed. I'm more than half inclined to find out what it would cost to have round the clock care at home. Would it be less expensive? However, I couldn't afford an RN or an LPN at home so I guess CB is the best place for her, as long as I make frequent visits to keep an eye on them. After all, Mom is the most precious person to me.
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5 comments:
That depends on your Mom's health care needs - does she really need a nurse FT or could a nursing assistant under supervision of an RN work? How much space do you have in your home and would you feel comfortable sharing your home with a live in caregiver as part of the benefit package? You could look having nursing students 1:1. Agencies run background checks for you, but just because someone passes a background check or holds a license doesn't necessarily mean they are "clean". It is good to go with other people's recommendations and your gut feelings in addition to the background check.
I am not a keeper of LTC budgets, but I believe that if your home environment permits physically accessible toileting/bathing/etc. of Mom, then it may actually be less expensive to care for her at home. Maybe less of an emotional toll on you, too. Worth looking into. Life is short and moves fast. Follow your heart & the best of luck!
Unfortunately our home is not set up for someone who needs round-the-clock care nor is it very handicapped accessible. I don't think it would be best for Mom to come back to our home.
I know this takes its toll on you, Robyn, but I think you have made the right choice to put your mom somewhere safe.
What are the rules for meal time at CB? Is she labeled a self-feed or one who needs help? If she is considered a self-feed, maybe you need to talk to someone in charge who can see to it she gets more to eat than a few bites of food.
Keep being the wonderful advocate that you have been so far. Never forget the squeaky wheel gets the grease.
See if you could get a team of friends and church members to take turns going to visit at different meal times and different days. It would only be a matter of them picking 1 meal time, 1 day a week, and them asking the staff each time about how your mom is eating. They need to vary the day they visit. If you could just get 3 team members it would be enough along with your visits. This would help your mom's appetite plus keep the staff aware that people were going to be checking to see if your mom eats or needs help.
I also agree with Betsy.
Squeak Squeak You're a good daughter! (((HUGS)))
I think Robyn that your Mom's sleepy condition somewhat is an effect of her medication. It is a good idea tho check with her doctor to make sure she's not overmedicated. Supervising her mealtime would assure that she's swallowing her food properly - a very important function in her condition.
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