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.
My mom fell terribly ill early Saturday morning while I was unfortunately in Dallas at the Democratic Convention. Fortunately my husband was here and when I called that morning at 8:15, he informed me that she was sick, confused, couldn't get up, didn't know what day it was (it was actually her work day at the Visitor's Center!). He said he was unable to get her out of bed on his own so I told him he might just have to call 911. But I then called my sis-in-law, who has been such a wonderful friend to my mom all these years. (Meanwhile, I was hurrying home!!) Together they got her to emergency and learned she had a terrible UTI (puss in the urine!!) and then we learned that had traveled into the bloodstream, sepsis! If we hadn't been here, she probably would have stayed in bed - and passed away. She so hates to be "a whiner," or to be any "trouble" to anyone. But hopefully she has learned now to listen to her body better.
She'll be in the hospital for a few more days but is getting stronger - walked down the hall (with a walker) today after being hardly able to walk across the room to the bathroom yesterday. Still, I know this has been a hard blow on her 94-yr-old body. We're yet to see the long-term effects.
We had wondered in the last 3 months of being here (moved from Costa Rica for those who haven't seen my earlier posts) if perhaps we had given up our wonderful life there too soon. She has always been so competent and independent and seemed mostly still to be. But this has confirmed that we got here just about the right time.
She'll be in the hospital for a few more days but is getting stronger - walked down the hall (with a walker) today after being hardly able to walk across the room to the bathroom yesterday. Still, I know this has been a hard blow on her 94-yr-old body. We're yet to see the long-term effects.
We had wondered in the last 3 months of being here (moved from Costa Rica for those who haven't seen my earlier posts) if perhaps we had given up our wonderful life there too soon. She has always been so competent and independent and seemed mostly still to be. But this has confirmed that we got here just about the right time.
Glad you guys were there to help her and that it appears to be reacting well to treatment!
The biggest thing is to get her moving. Being in bed is the worst. So laps around the hospital floor as much as possible. And lots of water.
Glad you were there and glad hubby was observant.
It's all a drag and Mother won't like spending the $$ - but that's the reason we came: to help her stay in her own home and not have to go into a nursing home.
She's a bit depressed, I think seeing this as the beginning of the end... but if she can just get to walking again perhaps she can still keep her Saturday job which means so much to her.
Anyway, just an update - and thanks to all for listening.
dlink makes some great cameras and they have sound. About $100 each for indoor models. Easy setup. And you can view anywhere you have internet service on smart phones or computers. You can also use the motion detector feature that would send you an email alert at night if she got up.
There is another brand dropcam that advertises two way sound.
Another option would be to get mom an ipad or ipod. Again with wifi you could facetime to talk. It's portable and free.
The problem with a wired intercomm is mom would have to get up to get to the intercomm on the wall. If she needs help that won't happen.