My grandmother was just released from the hospital with only 2 days of notice. My grandfather hasn't had the time nor the money to get a ramp large enough for her to get into and out of the house because it's a 36 inch rise and those ramps cost thousands of dollars. Is there a way to get her to doctors appointments? The hospital scheduled a follow up in 2 weeks.
The rehab facility may not be as top-notch as they would like, but it will give better rehabilitation than she will get at home. At home, she may receive therapy one to two times weekly. In rehab, she can have therapy daily. When my Mom was in rehab for 6 weeks she hated every bit of it, but she knew she had to get strong enough to do more for herself when discharged. If she was just discharged home from hospital, she wouldn't have any motivation to do therapy.
Your grandfather can be at the rehab facility daily to advocate for your grandmother and address whatever it is that upsets them about the facility.
As for getting her to follow up appointment, tell the hospital grandmother's situation and have them order home health ASAP. A nurse can assess her condition and give information to the doctor.
If it's a condition only a doctor can assess in folliw-up, then see if a medical transport company can take her on a stretcher. If the doctor signs their paperwork stating the transport is medically necessary, then hopefully Medicare will pay for it.
Are you/they involved in any clubs or organizations? Lions, Masons? Church? PTA? Ask at work, school, wherever you, your kids, parents, or grandparents meet/
interact with other people. Appeal to them for help. Ask if they know anyone who can help.
Contact your local Area on Aging for available assistance. Try local contractors,
Local Facebook groups or the NextDoor App. Local biker groups (not big MC clubs) or HD groups are good about helping their own. Tell everyone you know about their needs. Tell the grocery clerk, the bank teller, waiter/waitress. The wider you network, the more people who know of the problem the more likely someone who can help will hear about it. Local TV or radio stations frequently do segments on people in hard situations. Call the Fire Dept or Hospital EMS and ask if they can do a courtesy transfer. Like a Fall call but instead of just getting them off the ground, they use the gurney to transfer from house to car. Does she have Mcare? Ask about Home Health visit as an option for follow up. The person at the hosp who set the follow up appt has no idea about her condition/limitations. Call the hospital back and explain and ask for referral to Social Services.
Set up a crowd fund. Post a notice at the laundromat. Ask the hospital Social Worker for referrals, ask the drs office. Mention it to everyone you know, meet or talk to.
God and/or the Universe help those who help themselves. Reaching out here is a good first step, now just expand on that. Wishing you/them best of luck.
Her refusing to go to a nursing facility it's not her decision anymore. No one wants to go to one, but really there's no other choice here. Ask your grandfather how he would get your grandmother out in an emergency like a fire if there's no ramp and she's bedridden?
You can't take care of her. Caregiving for a bedridden person needs to be done by experienced caregivers. It is back-breaking work too. I know I did it for 25 years as employment. Your grandmother belongs in a nursing home at least until yout grandfather and family has worked out getting the care and equipment she needs to be care for at home.
A physical therapist has to come to their house and do an assessment of the home. Then whatever he says to do has to happen in order for your grandmother to safely come home and be cared for.
You, your grandfather, and other family members need to (for lack of a better term) gang up on grandma and tell her that her asinine stubbornness of coming home today will result in her being hospitalized within a couple days. There will be some kind of accident or incident because no one is prepared for her care needs at home and it will land her right back in the hospital and from there to a nursing home permanently.
Your grandfather and family have to be a bit tough on her now for her own good. The only place for your grandmother to safely be right now is a rehab or nursing home.
This is not about time and money to build a ramp. It’s about GM and GP accepting that they can't get their own way unless they can organise it themselves. You need to walk away so that they can learn it.
"That's where I'm getting to. My grandfather told me an hour ago that he wants me to be an additional caregiver for her (unpaid) but I'm against her being sent home at all until she has recovered enough to not need such specialized help. I know that I don't have good enough physical and mental health to take care of her how she needs to be taken care of."
So you tell granddad that No, you are not going to be grandmoms caregiver. She need more care than you have the ability to do. Its not fair for him to think you can do this for no pay. You have a life.
Is the inside of his home even big enough for her wheelchair? Is there a bedroom and bathroom on the same floor? Can she even get herself from the chair to the toilet?
Are your family members willing to orbit around them so that she doesn't go to rehab and remains in a wheelchair (unless they can get in-home PT and she does it)?
Lots to ponder...
Call your Office of Aging and see if they can help with a ramp. My friend was able to get one on loan. Meaning when he was done with it, it went back to the Office of Aging.
If Mom ends up in the hospital again, you can claim "unsafe discharge". Can GM use a wheelchair or completely bedbound? I would call Medicare (or if she has Medicare Advantage them) and ask if there is no way to get GM out of the house for this appt, will they cover a transport. I would also call the office where the appt is and ask if they have any recommendations. Maybe they can send out a Nurse Practioner.
You can call for a medical Transport. They will take her to a van or a vehicle that looks like an ambulance. If she is in a Wheelchair it would be a wheelchair accessible vehicle if she is bedbound they would put her on a gurney and transport her. Give them detailed info when you call to arrange transport. Medical transport may be covered by her insurance so check that
She probably should not have been released to home if it is not safe to get her in and out of the house.
You can get an aluminum ramp that you can more easily more. I got one on line and it was reasonable. (you can also check a Farm Store and see if there are any ramps that might be used for getting animals into a truck. Or equipment like mowers onto a flatbed. )
You can also check with the local Senior Service center in their area and ask if there are any volunteers that could build a ramp.
Once debility is this severe, if there is choice to attempt all heroic measures and treatments for illness, then SNF placement, skilled nursing, is likely the answer. To be honest I don't think accessible ramps are the worse problem you would face, but your first attempt at such an appointment may be the "learning experience" required.
I sure do wish the best of luck to you.
I would call the Patient Advocate at the hospital and see if she can still be qualified for rehab.