We tried to switch her to another doctor at the same group, but despite saying she takes new patients, that doctor declined to accept mom. When mom decided to move to the only AL facility in the area, they asked who her doctor was, I made a face, the admin made a face, and suggested two other choices who work with the facility regularly.
PCP is not a geriatric specialist, just a run of the mill family practice person. Preferred sibling finds her frosty, but I know mom likes having a woman for her doctor. And they actually listen to her. They schedule appointments! (Her previous doctorof many years would not schedule yearly checkups for his elderly patients , bc he felt it was a risk of messing up the schedule should they die. Seriously. You were supposed to call in that month)
County my family is from has no GI doctor, cardiologist, OB/GYN, or neurologist within 3-4 hrs, or geriatric specialist. You donāt really have choices in rural America.
Today I was inspired by stories about various kind people helping a family with a patient diagnosed with Alzheimerās and later in memory care and then finally in hospiceā¦.. A volunteer who did pickup and scouted out various random sporting events around townā¦ A friend who became a biking buddyā¦ A neigbor who took the energetic dog for long walks every morningā¦. Relatives with good chain saw skills who cut down a worrisome dead treeā¦ A family member who helped plan food for TBD number of guests (had about 100) for a Celebration of Life picnic and then took photos there and made a beautiful photo album. Bridge buddies who bolstered up a shocked widow. A former coworker who pointed out retiree funeral insurance benefitsā¦. A sports/coaching buddy who took away boxes of stuff that the family wanted to go to good purposes.
Hoping that folks caring for parents experience some of these kind of favors. Andā¦ donāt be afraid to request help as needed.
Mom informed Local that she had a ācrunchy painā in a tooth (she doesnāt have many left, tbh). He got her to the dentist in town through the snowstorm; tooth is fractured right through the gumline and will have to be taken out by an oral surgeon. Closest one is 90 minutes away and when Local called , their first appointment was Feb 10.
Preferred and I are working on a better plan. This is where personalities arenāt a match for tasking ā Local is doing their best, no doubt, but pushing back with medical people is very definitely not a thing they do, so they didnāt.
Itās hard to navigate this with someone who isnāt that assertive with medical things.
I guess my question would be if your mom can be put on a waitlist for cancellations?
I had a cracked tooth and it got painful. I think I asked them to call if they got a cancellation and got in the next week by being flexible. I canāt remember but is tooth extraction medical or dental. If medical everyone is trying to get their stuff done before they have to have a new deductible. So things might be clear after the first of the year. If she can wait.
These issues are so hard when dealing with others also. I know your brother is doing his best.
We had a huge scare with my dad on Wednesday, but heās fine. I guess he was eating breakfast and either vomited or spit up mucous, and then he aspirated it. Thank goodness his caregiver was there. He wasnāt responding to her, so she called 911 and alerted the nurse at the facility. They managed to clear his airway in time. He was seen at the ER just as a precaution, and they said he would be fine. I guess itās possible to develop pneumonia after an incident like this, so they will keep an eye on him.
THIS is the reason he needs 24/7 care. His advocate said his caregiver saved his life, literally. Dad is perfectly fine until heās not. Iām hoping this is a wakeup call for him since he keeps saying he doesnāt need care all the time.
Dadās in the ER again. His advocate said he was very weak and has fairly severe gastro issues (not to go into too much detail). He didnāt want to go to the ER because heās afraid he will miss the UT-Georgia game tomorrow. Sigh. Weāre hoping heās just dehydrated but I have a bad feeling about it.
Iām so sorry @MaineLonghorn! Your dad has been an amazing survivor but all these scares are undoubtedly hard on his body. Heās had an amazing life. I wish the best for him and you!
Thatās great! The Texas game is on ABC so I hope my dad can watch it. Heās still in the ER, waiting for a room. He has inflammatory colitis and c diff. The nurses are so busy they donāt have time to clean him up, so his caregivers are doing it. But what about the vast majority of patients who canāt afford private care??
Last night, the hospital couldnāt locate results from the CAT scan heād had a few hours earlier. Iām telling you, itās scary.
The nurses were also not aware he had a temperature of 100. The caregiver told them. I just canāt think about it or my head will explode.
My dad passed away yesterday. He went down hill very quickly after his release from the hospital to rehab. I didnāt post much on here about his situation, but I really appreciate all of you who post on this thread because I learned so much from you that helped us.
His advocate said he was very weak and has fairly severe gastro issues (not to go into too much detail). He didnāt want to go to the ER because heās afraid he will miss the UT-Georgia game tomorrow. Sigh. Weāre hoping heās just dehydrated but I have a bad feeling about it.
The nurses are so busy they donāt have time to clean him up, so his caregivers are doing it. But what about the vast majority of patients who canāt afford private care??