Sunday Update
Sorry I missed the update yesterday. Truth is, I was too upset to type. I went to the nursing home after dinner and found my dad in poor condition. He was slumped down low in his bed, he had removed his clothes and sheets because he was hot, he had not been fed, he had a pressure wound on his ankle, he had a rash, and he begged to go back to the hospital. He had not been turned since he arrived 24 hours earlier and they did not get him into a chair all day. I found the nurse and told her I was not happy with his care. I stayed until he was bathed and repositioned. I fed him dinner. While he was eating the med nurse came in and gave him medications that seemed all wrong. I was back at the nurse station to review his chart and ask questions about that. Nobody knew why his meds were changed. Apparently the hospital doctor changed a few things around, but the chart did not show why. I did some passive manipulation of dad's arms and legs and left to call hospice.
Did I say I love hospice?? The nurse called me right back and I told her my list of complaints. We agreed to meet first thing this morning, and we did. She came in, took my list, and went to work. Dad was slumped down in his bed again, so we got his bed adjusted so he can't slide, we fed him breakfast, propped his feet up so they don't touch the bed, called the doctor and got his meds changed back, ordered pain meds, ordered an air-circulation mattress, dressed his wound, did passive manipulation, massaged his arms, legs and shoulders and generally fluffed him up. The hospice nurse talked to the staff about what she expected (turn him every 2 hours, get him in a chair....). I opened the windows before I left, and dad looked like a new man. He couldn't move his arms or legs when I arrived this morning, but he was moving both after the massage.
Tomorrow will be a big day. He'll get a shower, he'll meet his new hospice nurse, he'll meet the physical therapist and the social worker and the chaplain. And if his new bed doesn't arrive today, it will arrive tomorrow. If he's up to it, I'm going to take him outside in a wheelchair on Tuesday. And, once again, I love hospice.
Sorry I missed the update yesterday. Truth is, I was too upset to type. I went to the nursing home after dinner and found my dad in poor condition. He was slumped down low in his bed, he had removed his clothes and sheets because he was hot, he had not been fed, he had a pressure wound on his ankle, he had a rash, and he begged to go back to the hospital. He had not been turned since he arrived 24 hours earlier and they did not get him into a chair all day. I found the nurse and told her I was not happy with his care. I stayed until he was bathed and repositioned. I fed him dinner. While he was eating the med nurse came in and gave him medications that seemed all wrong. I was back at the nurse station to review his chart and ask questions about that. Nobody knew why his meds were changed. Apparently the hospital doctor changed a few things around, but the chart did not show why. I did some passive manipulation of dad's arms and legs and left to call hospice.
Did I say I love hospice?? The nurse called me right back and I told her my list of complaints. We agreed to meet first thing this morning, and we did. She came in, took my list, and went to work. Dad was slumped down in his bed again, so we got his bed adjusted so he can't slide, we fed him breakfast, propped his feet up so they don't touch the bed, called the doctor and got his meds changed back, ordered pain meds, ordered an air-circulation mattress, dressed his wound, did passive manipulation, massaged his arms, legs and shoulders and generally fluffed him up. The hospice nurse talked to the staff about what she expected (turn him every 2 hours, get him in a chair....). I opened the windows before I left, and dad looked like a new man. He couldn't move his arms or legs when I arrived this morning, but he was moving both after the massage.
Tomorrow will be a big day. He'll get a shower, he'll meet his new hospice nurse, he'll meet the physical therapist and the social worker and the chaplain. And if his new bed doesn't arrive today, it will arrive tomorrow. If he's up to it, I'm going to take him outside in a wheelchair on Tuesday. And, once again, I love hospice.
posted by Jan at 2:46 PM
2 Comments:
Whew! Thank goodness for your partnership with the hospice people, huh? I know that made you feel 10,000 percent better when you walked away after having her help with him.
Jan, Maybe you should mention in passing to the director of the nursing home that you are an attorney? Dan keeps muttering that as I give him these updates. You could be subtle about it.
Seriously, this makes me so mad.
Praying, praying, praying.
Angi L.
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