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everything's moving too fast when I was just hoping to get Mom a little
stability (in more ways than one.)  the middle of the night phone call wasn't
the end of the world but she was taken from assisted living (where there was
precious little assistance I might go on about) to emergency room.  Long
distance I got a friend of hers and a friend of mine to spend a few separate
hours with her in the all day emergency room where I have to say the care and
the communication with family and the assistance in further arrangements was
wonderful.  But this evening she's moved from emergency room to acute rehab
for at least a week.  Acute rehab because medicare won't pay for subacute
rehab unless you're coming from a 3 or more day hospital admission but they
will pay for the more expensive.

And this is probably exactly what she needs - the assessment and assistance
in learning to use the tools, but here's the frustrating part - the
implication from the social worker and from the nursing staff at the assisted
living place that the rehab is a transition to a nursing home instead of a
place to learn to be more independent.

I don't know if I'm just in denial or right to be angry.  Should I be a more
aggressive caregiver?  Should we give up on the assisted care facility?  I
don't understand why?  If she can't walk without falling, then can't she use
a wheelchair?  There are plenty of people there in wheelchairs.  And this
sudden increase in falling, couldn't it have been a drug reaction.  She just
started Amantadine a week ago, and increased the dosage a few days ago.  The
nursing staff at the residence said that she's been falling for a week and
even more over the weekend and Sunday night and all day Monday she was
nauseous.  After what she said was a great meal Sunday evening, she didn't
eat or take any medication for most of yesterday.  And then did last night
and then fell again.  It seems others I've read have had that and worse
reactions to drugs, so maybe it's not just inevitable deterioration.

I did talk to her neurologist yesterday, before all the drama, and he seemed
discouraged that the medication weren't helping more, but he specifically
said he wasn't giving up yet, there was more to try.  All the talk today
though was pretty discouraging for Mom and me and my more distant sister and
brother.  I am going to Boston at the crack of dawn tomorrow.  Hope I can be
more effective if I'm there.

Sorry to be so long-winded, but on the lighter side - am I the only one who's
wondered about whether there could be a constructive connection between the
Lorena Bobbit chain saws and the testicle cells?