Fatal fall

mpang123

My Dad, 89, with VD, has so many fractures due to several falls in the past 2 years. He fractured his spine, humerus, elbow, hip and pelvis. He's completely bed bound, double incontinent, needs to be fed, and he's kept comfortable with pain pills (narco, morphine). He is under hospice care in assisted living. He still has a good appetite though. I wonder what his prognosis is. Time is ticking.

fmb

@mpang123

It is so hard to watch our loved ones in this final stage. The pain of seeing their world shrink to a hospital bed confined to the four walls of a small room in a facility is heartbreaking. The uncertainty of not knowing the timeline is agonizing. It seems like an eternity. Time is indeed ticking.

It is good that he is in hospice care. I found that our hospice nurse was an important source of information on DH's progression, though even an experienced nurse cannot predict how much longer a patient will live. A good nurse will not even try to provide an estimate until very near the end. When our nurse left early Tuesday evening, she estimated that DH had 4-5 days left. While oxygen, morphine and Ativan had begun to be administered for comfort four days prior, he still had a good appetite and ate well on Monday. Around 9:00 p.m. Tuesday night, he took a sharp turn for the worse, and two hours later was gone.

Love him well while you have him with you. He will leave you all too soon.

Anonymousjpl123

I’m so sorry this is happening. If you can, try to find moments to care for yourself so you can be present with him - even a cat nap in a chair next to his bed. This is an agonizing and stressful time. Sending you and your dad meditations for peace.

Quilting brings calm

I was told Mom had at least two weeks. She lasted 10 days. It wasn’t until the last 24/36 hours that hospice started telling me it would be soon. Even then her condition changed a lot between Thanksgiving evening and late Friday morning.

Mom’s appetite disappeared a few weeks before her death. Even then hospice told me we wouldn’t be near the end until after she quit drinking. If that’s the route your dad takes, you will see an obvious change about a week before his death, gradually becoming unresponsive.

mabelgirl

There is no humanly way to predict when. Make the most of the time you have. Prayers for peace and comfort.