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Katiekate Asked March 2017

Is Medicare going to authorize a nurse to come and do this in the home?

my Mom has decided to get surgery.


For three days before surgery she must discontinue warfarin and get injections roughly every 12 hours.


So...my problem with this is...1) nothing is getting mom up and dressed and out the door before 10am. Tried many times...just not happening. She is so tired, and I cannot lift her dead weight.
2) nothing is keeping her awake past 4pm. Not even dinner. I already had to reschedule all therapy to happen between 10:30 am and 2pm.


And finally...I am not giving her injections. Odd as it may be, I get sick to my stomach around needles. And the ladies from the home care agency are not allowed to give injections.


So...she is "functionally" home bound during the hours those injections must be given... 7am-8am and 6pm-7pm.


Is Medicare going to authorize a nurse to come and do this in the home?

BarbBrooklyn Mar 2017
Tring to think out of the box here. Will mom be going to rehab after surgery?

Admit her as a private pay patient for the days before the surgery so that the Lovonox can be administered there.

Countrymouse Mar 2017
Why not ring Medicare, explain the situation and the requirement, and ask if they will authorise visiting RNs?

Or is it that you want the surgery called off?

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Katiekate Mar 2017
There are no siblings within 1000 miles.
There are no friends. She has outlived all of them

No one can force me to do this thing.

The home health agency has a flat policy forbidding any employee to give any injections.

When Mom first came home from the hospital after a stroke and rehab she had to have these injections.  Nurse came from some RN agency and gave her these injections...early morning and night.  Every day for 7 days straight.   They had to do this while she was sleeping....like I said, nothing gets mom up in the morning or keeps her awake after 4pm. 

So..there is no one to teach.
And, there is no way Mom is leaving the house twice a day to do this.

Shane1124 Mar 2017
No unfortunately home care nurses will teach the family to do it. They won't be there twice a day.
Maybe a sibling or friend of the family can do it?
It's pretty well expected that someone will be taught.
If you are talking about lovenox injections (anticoagulation) the needle is very small and it's not difficult to learn to do it.  The syringes come profiled and ready to be administered usually in the abdomen. You'd be surprised how you can overcome your fears and do what needs to be done if you have to. 
Unless you hire a RN or LPN and pay out of pocket to come to administer the doses, you or yours will have to learn.
The nurses won't be there 7 days a week- usually 2 visits a week are ordered.

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