Hey guys, so my mom recently went to a rehabilitation place to stay for 4 nights to give me a break from taking care of her. They wanted us to bring all of her medicines but just enough for the stay. I called tonight to check on her and they said they had to give her morphine to calm her down. I sent her with 6 adavan 1mg (she went in Thursday afternoon) and I'm guessing she's out. I'm so mad!!! We've NEVER given her the morphine it's just for just for later when the time does come where she's in pain. Can the give her the morohine to calm her down? I'm in South Carolina if that matters.
With our permission, the NH is giving my mother morphine and colonzapam and she is pretty much out of it too but in her case it is the only way for her to be safe. The morphine was added after she got up and fell and broke her pelvis. Although she is too weak to walk, she has constantly tried to get up (despite alarms, padding, surveylance, and light restraint) but she is so fast they can't turn their backs on her for even a minute and still she has fallen a couple of times, including in the hospital. Seniors are weak, but they are determined, and amazingly strong when they want to be. Facilities don't have the staff to watch every agitated patient 24/7 so they are faced with the decision to either sedate or restrain. In Mom's NH, they call to inform or get permission for every change they make.
You need to talk to the facility and doctor and come up with a plan on how your mother will be kept from hurting herself.
I don't usually think of morphine for anything but pain. I wonder if Mom said she was in pain when they asked her what the matter was. Possible, right?
This sounds like a Hospice situation. Is that the case? I guess I would not worry so much about what prescribed medications she is given over a 4-day period. She was not given anything except what was available in the assortment you brought. The only real question is was that the best choice, and I think we'd need to know a lot more about the situation to guess at that.
I imagine she is back at home now. How are things going? I hope you did get some much-needed rest.
As pam said the rehab center can give a patient any medications that are legally prescribed.
It sounds as though she may be a hospice patient and some hospices do supply drugs that may be needed as the patient's decline continues. Morphine for pain is one of those drugs.
Many people especially those with dementia become agitated when moved from their usual surroundings so as the morphine was prescribed and available it sounds perfectly reasonable to use.
Many rehab facilities do not have a pharmacy available or a Dr on the premises. It may take at least 24 hours to get a medication prescribed and delivered.
Try and stop being mad and be thankful that the staff used their common sense and the medication available to soothe your mother rather than let her agitation continue.
A dose of morphine at the end of life does not an addict make, but you are right to be vigilant.