Her mental state is deteriorating, she is not responding well to PT (this is her 5th recovery) and she seems to have stopped caring. She’s depressed and I haven’t found a way to help her rehab. In the last 3 weeks she went from walking w pain to now being completely bedridden and her mind seems to have shut down or given up on trying to recover.
Tonight I changed my mother for the first time unexpectedly 4 times and because of her fracture it was quite complicated. I feel like my brain shut down.
we’re trying to keep her safe, but what the balance?
she has an aide during the day, and I’m trying to find the balance. Each person she has contact with adds to her exposure risk.
Do I go all out and get more pt, do I add an additional nighttime aide? Or is the risk too great because of her diabetes that I need to just shut down my brain and do it myself? The dementia also complicates it...
I am at a loss and my family is looking to me to decide. Everyone has their own opinions but a decision must be made and time is of the essence that I act and decide her care plan.
TIA
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You will need an elder law attorney to set this all up correctly.
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Also remember the importance of turning and repositioning your mother while in bed for long periods of time to prevent skin breakdown and bedsores. Inspect her skin daily at the pressure points (sacrum and heels) for redness pain and blanching- when you press into a reddened area and notice it is white-ish in color for a time after the skin is depressed then released.
Is she in pain? I imagine with a fractured spine changing her in bed just be very uncomfortable for her.
Good luck with your difficult decision.
She was in tremendous pain from the fracture itself until about 10 days ago and now the pain is almost all from muscles atrophying and lack of movement. This is her 5th fracture in 11 years- hip, tailbone, collarbone, shoulder, and now t12 compression. She has osteoporosis as well..
Its incredibly difficult to change because of all the muscle and nerve pain she experiences, but I’m learning and adjusting. However she really requires full time care at home along w alot of pt to hope to recover. She’s at her sister now and her health is only getting worse. It’s time to try something else and just use every tool we have - hiring extra pt, extra care- an overnight aide in addition to her daytime, my brother and our wives.., - for her to have a full chance at recovery.
I likely will make that decision tonight and make arrangements for tomorrow.