So…….Feeling all alone in a situation. Hard to know what to do. Years of caretaking… can wear you down.
I made a call, have an appointment for a new NP. Doc abruptly left in January, one week notice.
Can't talk to a medical professional until initial visit, understand.
Getting the very weak, dementia 90-year-old to the office will be a challenge, but I will get it done.
THEN, they will talk to me about dementia, which I have many questions about.
I'm only the daughter, 24/7 person for last 4 years.
Why do they make it so difficult????
I started the day by calling our local hospice.
WE CANT TALK TO YOU, WE NEED DOCTORS ORDERS, ETC.
Our healthcare system is a mess.
I guess you will just need to wait until you see the new doctor. Do you feel Mom is dying? To receive Hospice the criteria is that you will die within 6 months. Not that people have gone passed six months but the Dr feels dying could happen in 6 months. There is no intervention. No doctor visits or hospital visits unless the Hospice nurse feels its warranted.
She also receives Medicare paid visits from her hospice group.
I agree with Barb, call another hospice or home health group.
You will need a doctor though for orders on the home health. Some hospice have their own doctors, I thought all of them did?
I wonder about your moms insurance., if they can help? If she has original Medicare, you can contact any doctor that accepts Medicare for an appointment. If you are on one of the advantage plans, call them and see if they can guide you to a quicker solution.
They may have a nurse on call who can help with some of your questions. My cousin actually had the cell number to her parents doctor. Came in really handy when they both had COVID.
If your mom has several issues going on, sometimes the ER visit to a top hospital can get things going. Again, check her insurance. That’s who they all work for it seems to me.
Good luck and I hope you find help soon.
There is a process to healthcare in the US. One cannot just "call up" and ask for this or that -- this is dangerous for patients, wastes resources and is a liability for the medical community since they will be the ones held ultimately responsible for what happens to us or the people for whom we are responsible.
We receive the "best" care possible when all the facts are gathered into one file and the medical professional can carefully review them. I'm sure when one is in full burnout that this feels like an eternity and an emergency, but this is the process -- please hang in there a little longer. See if you can get her a house call. Even call the doctor's clinic directly and make an appeal.
I'm MPoA for my 2 aunts who live in FL, ages 99 and 102. At the last visit to their doctor -- whom they've seen for the past 20 years -- he told me with his own lips to have his staff call him to come to my aunts' home if they needed him but I couldn't get them into the car and it wasn't an ambulance emergency. There are still people in the medical community who go the extra mile out of mercy. I wish you fast and thorough help for your mom, and YOU!
Consider taking you LO to the Ear.