They say she has plateaud. But she is not walking on her own or even able to go to bathroom. I and my brother live away and can’t get there for another few weeks. She is in a rehab/ nursing facility. What are my options? Any ideas. This is our first time dealing with the Medicare system.
After a replacement the patient is usually up and taking a few steps before she leaves the hospital usually in four days either discharged to rehab or home.
I rehab she should have daily PT which includes walking every day.
Unless there are other reasons you don't know or haven't shared 20 days is far too short a period to have reached a plateau. For an older person expect improvement to continue for 6-12 months.
Did the surgery alter her mental status which is very possible in the elderly.
I agree you should get to rehab as soon as possible and find out why she is not improving. I can't remember the Medicare rules for rehab but I think 20 days is a magic number. you should probably go to the medicare web site and look up the rules.
The presence of family absolutely, definitely makes a big, big difference in the way the patients can and are treated. Since you can't visit for 2 weeks, you could start calling there regularly and ask to speak with the therapists, getting more details on the reasons for the alleged plateaus.
And the reasons may in fact be legitimate, but they could be interpretive, could be emotional...so many things could factor in.
Real makes a good suggestion of speaking with the doctor. If he/she has seen your mother recently, he/she can assess the situation just as well if not better than rehab staph, and could do so independently.
You can also consider moving your mother to a facility closer to you and your brother; then you could visit more often and make your presence known.
Have you talked to the Dr that did replacement, my mom had a staph infection that caused untold issues.