Hi all, have a question about rehab. My FIL will be discharged from the hospital and sent to rehab soon, for physical therapy. He is not on Medicare, he is on Medi-cal. It appears he is not going to cooperate with physical therapy. He’s basically been laying in bed for a month and before that he was having mobility issues. He keeps refusing speech and occupational therapy at the hospital and it seems like he’s given up. He’s only 64. The speech therapy is because his cancer has caused a very rare condition that makes it difficult to swallow and talk. I can’t recall the name of the condition but it starts with an M. Anyway so when he goes to rehab, what happens when he refuses to participate? Do they basically show him the door? I assume they send him home and it is what is. He’s also supposed to start chemotherapy because of the rare condition. I don’t think anyone of his kids is managing his care and my husband is in no condition to do it. My BIL has POA but isn’t doing anything but continuing on with his life (not that I blame him to be honest). I’m just curious what’s next if he won’t cooperate when he gets to rehab. I know how it works when you are Medicare patient but like I said, he’s not on Medicare yet. Thank you.
I would be getting the answer to that 1st. May be the rehab doesn't even happen.
Can you call medi-cal and find out how they determine if care is provided/paid for?
Good luck, so sad at 64. Many good years ahead with hard work.
He's got Multiple Myeloma, stage 0? It's a very manageable disease; does he know that? Has the oncologist who is treating him explained what is going on in a way that he can understand?
Has anyone suggested a psychiatric consult? Sounds like he's quite depressed.
since the cancer is “just there” or “festering” the doctors say, he was told it didn’t need to be treated. He moved out here in July 2018 and hadn’t seen an oncologist or anyone else about his cancer but he has had medical treatment for bladder and prostate issues. He’s starting chemo, I believe it be given as a shot, only because of the rare condition the cancer caused.
No no one has suggested anything. My husband is only able to go see him once or twice a week. His siblings both work and have young children too and live around an hour away from the hospital. They call him & check in during the week. I think my BIL visits on the weekend, not sure about my SIL.
I don’t think any of them realize that someone needs to step up here and get involved.
I have a friend who had a lumpectomy before the holidays. A scan showed that there was no Cancer in her body. She is 77. She researched the side effects of radiation and the chemo pill u take for 5 yrs. She talked to the radiologist and the oncologist and chose not to go with either treatment. She just went to the surgeon, a woman, for a follow. She berated my friend for not doing the treatments saying that she would have taken the breast if she had known she wasn't proceeding with treatment. What! My friend was given choices and felt the side effects were not worth it.
I am so tired of hearing about that "one little cell". My sister went thru 8 months of agressive chemo even after her scan showed no cancer. She couldn't work. She went back to work in July. Started having pain in Sept. Died in October. She lived a year and a half after diagnosis. Would she have lived just as long without the treatments? Its all about the quality of life. How can ur natural ammune system fight when the white blood cells are distroyed too.
Having said that, it is sometimes considered therapy if the patient will just sit in a chair. If that’s all they can do.
Also, Medi-Cal May provide for custodial care in his circumstance. I don’t know.
I was told it is fraud for the rehab to bill for therapy they aren’t able to provide.
If your FIL is not incompetent, then the POA can’t force him into any situation FIL doesn’t agree with. Like he can’t force him to take the chemo.
FILs situation sounds very difficult. I’m sorry he is going through this and doesn’t appear to have hope.
WorriedinCa I know you are a frequent poster. So you know about “Being Mortal, Medicine and what matters in the end” by Atul Gawande. If you haven’t read it, please do. Even if you only go online and look at the five questions it might be helpful for your FIL and your husband.
The first one is along the lines of Do you know where you are and what your condition is?
It also helps navigate cancer treatments with doctors. Doctors are often not very comfortable letting a patient know how successful a treatment is etc.
Keep us up to date on how he is doing.
Hugs
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