Feeling kind of distressed about the discharge

Olly_Bake

There are so many people posting needing help that I was trying to wait it out but the week to see if I'll stick with my decision is here because the hospital plan is to discharge this week. As some of you have read, dad underwent hip surgery and now doing in-patient/in-hospital rehab. My plan to the social worker last week was to bring dad to his home with personal care aids (he gets about 49 regular hours and 60 respite) and regular home health that will hopefully continue with physical therapy. However much he can handle. I also plan to be part of that care team.

However, in speaking with the home health agency's spokesperson that is following dad, I'm starting to question? A comment like the sibling living in his home is not going to be able to handle his care (they have past experience with my sibling and both parents being under her care before). I'm hoping to find aides like some of you speak of here so that we can pretend the sibling don't exist and everyone does what they suppose to do. 

Then the other comment like oh if our therapist sees they can't do anything to help because it will not be like what he is getting from the hospital, if you want to go hospice, I can just click a button on the computer and it is done. Making it seem like I'm being a bother with my questions or that maybe they as a company don't want to be bother with such an old person. Unfortunately, they are the only one that can provide regular home health in that area. After that, it's hospice only or just seeing his primary.

Then I spoke with his primary today after my own personal visit and he suggest coming to their swing bed and then send dad back to a nursing home because he is not going to get the care needed at home. Well, I don't feel he is getting the care he needs in the nursing homes.

He is eating and drinking well. He is communicating as he was post surgery so the anesthesia didn't seem to do damage. His spirit is up. But, but he is not walking I don't believe. But they do have him up daily in his wheelchair. In bed he helps turn himself over except when they ask him to turn on the side of the injured leg. Then he goes to fussing saying he can't turn over, saying it hurts, and fussing.

Nerdyblond

I'm so sorry. That has got to be so rough. 

I'm guessing at this point, I would either start preparing myself for dad and his care for the long haul, or I would start researching other places just in case. 

Praying for you.

May flowers

Here’s how it went here (May be different in different areas) after surgery, my FIL was prescribed an in-home rehab company by the surgeon. They sent an OT, PT and nurse out weekly for a month. I didn’t have help but the exercises were very simple like moving his legs in bed, standing him up every hour, and they taught me how to walk with him with a gait belt when he wanted to walk. At the end of the month it was clear to everyone that these skills were not coming back (physically strong enough, but cognitively he couldn’t figure it out) and we opted for hospice at that point. 

Anyway,  is your home health agency suggesting their caregivers can’t help with the PT exercises? Maybe it is considered outside the skill set of a CNA? I don’t know.

My worry about the nursing home rehab center, based on experiences of others in my area was that, yes he would have gotten the PT he needed but the nurses would not have the time it takes to ensure he would stay on task eating and drinking like he needs. I felt like if we wanted PT and around the clock attention to care - he needed to either be here or we would have needed to hire a caregiver for him at the facility.

It is a hard decision, hope it becomes clear over the next few days. I am glad to hear he did well with the anesthesia that’s half the battle in my opinion!

Olly_Bake

Just getting a chance to reply. Thanks both of you for responding.

According to the hospital social worker and therapist, dad is doing too well to qualify for swing bed. So as of now, we are sticking to the original plan of home health with their therapist. I will ask about occupational tomorrow. I also have anxiety because one of the siblings I've struggled with for years now and try not to be around, I'll have to interact with again in order to help dad.