Caring For Aging Parents Support Group
Caring for aging parents can be a difficul time as we become the caretakers for our parents. This broad responsibility can encompass such services as assisted living, adult day care, long term care, nursing homes, hospice care, and in-home care. Whether you have just started caring for your parents or just need a place to talk, we're here.
An "early" good morning to you all! I haven't gone to sleep yet...
SO, Mom is in a nursing home for rehab. She's been there about 5 weeks now. She is doing occupational and physical therapy.
Since she's been there, she has fallen 3 times. A few times, trying to get up and walk by herself, she fell....One other time, the nurse was helping her, and lost her grip, and mom slid down to floor.
Last night, she tried to get into her wheelchair from her bed, and she fell. The nurse walked by her room, and saw her, and went in and said "Hi, what happened, are you ok??
Mom said yes, I just tried to get up into the wheelchair, and I slid to the floor....and fell. Just help me up, but please don't call my daughter...Let's just keep this quiet, and make a deal, and we'll forget about the whole thing, ok?????
LOL!!! MY mom...she's quite a trip...She's making "deals" with the nurses, trying to keep it on the down low, about her falling so I don't call her and tell her, or say "MOM WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!!"
I don't want to make light of this, but have to laugh, imagining my Mom, making a "deal" with the nurses. I'm surprised she didn't bribe them with her candy or cookies that my cousin brought her!!
BUt, I also don't want her to think i'm "scolding" her, but she was in the hospital for 5 months, before she went to rehab.
The last thing she needs, is to fall, and break a hip or arm, or leg, and she 'll be right back in the hospital, and all the hard work, and pain, and exhaustion she is going thru now for rehab, will be wiped clean...and she'll have to start all over.
I told her that today, didn't yell, and just told her. I never yell at her, just try to make it known to her=that she can't just get up and walk yet...She's not strong enough and her balance is not good.
She fell at home here, and her balance was not good. it's even worse now.
PHEW!!! Just feels good to get all of this out. My brother is out west, and is not local, so it's all on me, and he just doesn't understand how she is, and how much she's failing. I guess you have to see it to believe it, cause she's aging, and I don't think he wants to admit that, although i'm 2.5 yrs younger than he is.
thanks for the read,
Boo
SO, Mom is in a nursing home for rehab. She's been there about 5 weeks now. She is doing occupational and physical therapy.
Since she's been there, she has fallen 3 times. A few times, trying to get up and walk by herself, she fell....One other time, the nurse was helping her, and lost her grip, and mom slid down to floor.
Last night, she tried to get into her wheelchair from her bed, and she fell. The nurse walked by her room, and saw her, and went in and said "Hi, what happened, are you ok??
Mom said yes, I just tried to get up into the wheelchair, and I slid to the floor....and fell. Just help me up, but please don't call my daughter...Let's just keep this quiet, and make a deal, and we'll forget about the whole thing, ok?????
LOL!!! MY mom...she's quite a trip...She's making "deals" with the nurses, trying to keep it on the down low, about her falling so I don't call her and tell her, or say "MOM WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!!"
I don't want to make light of this, but have to laugh, imagining my Mom, making a "deal" with the nurses. I'm surprised she didn't bribe them with her candy or cookies that my cousin brought her!!
BUt, I also don't want her to think i'm "scolding" her, but she was in the hospital for 5 months, before she went to rehab.
The last thing she needs, is to fall, and break a hip or arm, or leg, and she 'll be right back in the hospital, and all the hard work, and pain, and exhaustion she is going thru now for rehab, will be wiped clean...and she'll have to start all over.
I told her that today, didn't yell, and just told her. I never yell at her, just try to make it known to her=that she can't just get up and walk yet...She's not strong enough and her balance is not good.
She fell at home here, and her balance was not good. it's even worse now.
PHEW!!! Just feels good to get all of this out. My brother is out west, and is not local, so it's all on me, and he just doesn't understand how she is, and how much she's failing. I guess you have to see it to believe it, cause she's aging, and I don't think he wants to admit that, although i'm 2.5 yrs younger than he is.
thanks for the read,
Boo
Something goes wrong and it's out of your control but you still take it personally..
There are many, many instances though that I'm sure you've seen where a fall could have been prevented. Just saying; not meant to offend. Sorry, if I did.
PD
I suppose Mom wants some privacy and independence and maybe some of why the "making deals" with the nurses. My Mom has much of her competence too but now and then she will show some signs of change. For ex. she was upset that the floor had something sticky all over it. I said, just washed it a couple hours ago and have not been back. Well, she slopped something, walked in it, and when returned walked in it and noticed. She did not get that she was the one who puts sticky around. I just clean those things and go along.
Your Mom is lucky to have you watching out and looking to her needs. Hope she is able to get her balance and strength together.
Hugs
P
Maybe I just don't remember from my father's stay in rehab; was just curious as to what that entails.
PD
Cant use side rails or restraints of any sort any more, so short of having one staff member sitting one on one with every resident 24/7/365 would be the only way to do any better and even then a large person could pull the staff member down with them! =)
I'm talking about hallways that are cluttered, (fall risk), improperly fitted wheel chairs, (fall risk), beds that are raised too high for the patient, (another fall risk). These types of things.
Assessments should be made on any elderly patient to determine if there is an underlying condition whether it be medication issues or other. That doesn't always happen as quickly as it should. Any medication changes such as a sedative should be an immediate red flag that that patient needs extra monitoring. I could go on here.....
My post is not a character assassination against nurses. There are way too many falls in all nursing and rehab facilities. I think the facility itself should be held more accountable.
Assigning one staff member to each patient is not feasible and I'm not involved with the federal guidelines so I would leave that up to the experts as to what new laws should be implemented to help reduce the number of falls each year.
Hugs
But the most ridiculous incident was when we were taking care of a young man who was sadly dying of brain cancer.
He was to weak and mixed up in his head to do very much but he was still big and strong and we could not do much with him.
He kept falling out of bed like CONSTANTLY so it was decided we would put his bed down as low as it would go and then place a mattress next to it for him to fall on!
Well! A few days later we got a letter from some lawyer saying we were going to be sued for making patients sleep on the floor!!!!!!
That was pretty much the last straw for me.
We had a lady come in late on second shift. She was mad as a wet hen and so was her family. They DEMANDED I put side rails on her bed and were nine too happy when I tild them we were not allowed to do that any more.
So like a dumb ass I called my supervisor. She told me I would have to make a "nursing "judgement" and she could not tell me what to do.
Really nice of her to help me out, Eh!
Well it took us over an hour to even FIND a set of side rails and someone who knew how to install them. Family and new resident FUMING at me the whole time!!!!
Guess what happened the next day??? Yup! I get written up for "false Imprisonment"!
I can see why you were questioning what I meant. You were a good nurse, professional and helpful. That's my opinion!
PD
I just wanted to make a point. As professional cared givers our hands are often tied.
The last thing I will say about it is after the incident with the lawyer I gave my two weeks notice and called in sick for my last shift.
The final insult was they tried to keep my bonus because technically since I called in on my last day I was no longer entitled to it!
I raised a HUGE stink and they did finally give it to me!