I can see where the airpod method could be helpful in some cases. Talking louder can help for short stints. But it can be awkward for long discussions. My mother had a hard time hearing my soft voice (and sister’s) and sometimes the grandkids. She had some kind of cheapo personal application device that she sometime wore when I visited and when she’d come to the house for holiday dinner. I’m sure it was not as good as a hearing aid, but she found it helpful.
To our surprise, the doctor wanted to discharge my dad from the hospital this afternoon. Not to go into gross details, let’s just say that was not a good idea. Everyone but the doctor agreed, ha. My sister managed to convince her to let Dad stay one more day to make sure everything is ready at his facility. We’re still nervous, but at least this is better.
Also to our surprise, the dressing for the wound for his amputation was never changed the whole week. On Monday, Dad’s advocate spent a good bit of time to get instructions sent to the nurse to do it. The advocate talked to the nurse directly, too. Didn’t do any good! Sigh, same old, same old.
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Oh that’s frustrating, when each shift pushes those tasks onto the next and then it never happens. I hope your dad has better day tomorrow and stays put until he’s really well enough to leave care. You are a good team 
Thanks goodness there is a knowledgeable advocate. But wow… still, what an ordeal.
We had a scare these past 2 days. Yesterday (Wed.) I got a call from the AL nurse that my Dad’s bpm was 30, his blood pressure also very low. They called EMTs and asked my permission to take him to the ER. I said yes, and they transported him. He was lethargic and non-responsive. They checked his pacemaker and did some adjustments. He was not admitted to the hospital and was sent back to AL in the late afternoon. I packed my bag and was getting ready to fly out to MN when they called; said he was fine. My sister went out because she could. I am in the middle of finals at my university. So now, Dad is back in his AL unit. His bpm is still pretty low (fluctuating between 30 and 70) but he’s comfortable.
His heart is failing. Even though he has a pacemaker, his heart has beaten billions of times and the muscle is just wearing out. He has AMS/dementia and pretty soon organ failure will start because his heart just can’t pump oxygenated blood efficiently. He has a DNR order. It’s only a matter of time. I am keeping a bag packed. I’ve got finals and grades due by Dec. 20. But I think it won’t be long now. If he becomes uncomfortable because of organ failure/shortness of breath, they will put him on hospice and sedate him for comfort. But right now, he’s in a fragile stasis.
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That is a tough situation. Try to take good care of yourself as you face the coming challenges.
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This is tough and I wish you good thoughts on these hard days coming up.
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I’ll be thinking of you. It seems like we’ll be on the same path soon.
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I’m so sorry. Hospice will make him comfortable which is a blessing
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Yes, but it can still be a shock when a loved one under hospice care falls into sleep. Still, many say hearing is the last sense to go. It is quite profound to be present during hospice care phase.
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I held my brother’s hand and talked to him for many hours after a brain bleed rendered him brain dead, basically ushering him into eternity. Despite heavy hospice drugs, he seemed uncomfortable. Then my aunt called. I put her on speaker, and she talked about my brother when he was young, talked about how happy his relationship with her oldest son made her, talked about how much she loved him. I could visibly see my brother relaxing during the call. He passed away as she spoke. I definitely believe that he heard her, and she made a difference.
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Any feedback on pedal exercisers, for use by elderly while sitting?
My father’s hip has healed, and his wife often takes him to walk at a local school parking lot. But in winter that will often not be possible. He likes the idea of having one and thinks a non-electric, light model (easy to pull out) would best. There are various review sites online, but I think most of them are really just advertising sites.
I am posing a guess- Can he get referral from physical therapist ? Could insurance cover as home medical equipment?
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My dad is home and doing OK. I’m glad he has his lady friend to get him settled because my sister was out of town at my nephew’s college graduation. I fly to Austin tomorrow.
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Usually the physical therapists and occupational therapists have seen all the ones on the market and can make good recommendations on which are better and which worse.
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I’ve suggested to my father and my sister (helping him shop from afar) that they should get PT recommendation… but so far no progress there.
Whenever we got anything for my folks I always asked the PT—that’s why they’re the experts and we pay them. Some of the products are actually dangerous and it’s best to know and not endanger patients.
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My dad had one that somehow had a digital readout and was small and portable. He hated it, and it ended up in the basement. PT started my mom on one last week. It is very analog – and it worked just fine for her. It’s pretty much just a metal pipe frame with pedals. I think the critical part is the base – is it wide and stable, made of metal? Or is it a compact plasticky rectangle? The readout and bells/whistles don’t matter a single bit. You just want to be able to adjust the tension, maybe, and it needs to be super stable. Pedaling from a seated position tends to push the contraption forward (the force is going “out” , not “down” until strength is regained) so you need it to stay put. Imho.
@MaineLonghorn travel safe. We’ll all be thinking of you and your dad
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Safe travels for your Austin trip. I bet your Dad will be delighted to see you.
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I’m enjoying my time in Austin. Dad is doing well, but I wish we could get him moving more. He stays in his recliner pretty much 24/7, even sleeping there. PT evaluated him today, so maybe they’ll start getting him around more.
I deleted the long post I wrote about all the details that haven’t been taken care of. Let’s just say I’m glad I live so far away. It’s exhausting. I don’t know what’s going to happen when my sister moves away this summer. Sigh. It is such a HUGE effort to keep him “independent.” And he thinks he can do more than he can. I’m going to try to just enjoy my time here and tell all the people he’s PAYING to do their job.
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