I have been caring for my father for a little over a year and it has been consistent care. About 2 months ago he caught a small cold and became dehydrated. My brother took him to the emergency room and they kept him overnight. From there he contracted hospital-acquired pneumonia or aspiration pneumonia which we then were back in the hospital for 4 days. When we got home he got so much worse and his stomach was distended so back to the hospital where we find out that his urethra has closed off due to too many unsuccessful attempts to cathaterize him. They then decided to put in a suprapubic catheter. He had enlarged prostate issues which was causing him to be unable to urinate and they did a procedure to correct the problem. However he should never have been catheterized after that and we weren't told that and the hospital ER didn't seem to know that so it basically wrecked the previous procedure. So now we have a catheter that is going to be permanent and we have to clean it, care for it, empty it, all of that.
They show you briefly in the hospital and then send you on your way. We are having every single kind of problem you can have. We have a home health nurse that comes by once a week unless we want to put him on hospice. Hospice does not include any Rehab Services so we do not want that as he was walking and using the restroom prior to all of this happening. So now it's up to us to figure out how to manage this for the duration of his life. By the way I truly feel that what he went through at the hospital over the last two months greatly shortened his lifespan. But that's another topic. My question is does anyone know about any resources where we can go and be trained what to do with this catheter to make him the most comfortable and possibly restore some of his mobility. He is 80 years old and we do understand sometimes things are lost that cannot be restored but we really need to understand how to best care for him so at least he is given the opportunity to live his best life until the end.
. I have not myself tried youtube but it seems to have EVERYTHING from infant CPR on these days. Try to go there and put in "male catheter care".
Visiting nurse should be able to easily teach you catheter care.
There are also foley bags that attach to the catheter in place of the hanging bag.
If after all of this you are unable to manage then do let the doctor know that you need a visiting nurse to come and teach you complete catheter care.
Try some of the catheter maker sites, as well. The catheter I am most familiar with was 15 years ago before my retirement, but was made by foley catheter. They WELL may have a film right on their web site for you.
GOOD LUCK. You are dealing with a full plate to be certain.
https://familytreeinhomecare.com/what-we-do/family-caregiver-training/
They operate from a number of locations in Texas so I'm hoping one will be accessible for you. Best of luck!
I Googled "training for family caregivers in [name of location]" - it might be worth trying that and seeing if there's anything similar available where you live.
With all the problems he has he may be eligible.
You don't "catch" aspiration pneumonia. That happens when food goes down the "wind pipe" to the lungs and not down the esophagus. This happens with dementia and is a leading cause of death. And it can easily happen again. If a swallow test has not been done it might be good to look into it, in the mean time cut food into small bits, puree foods difficult to chew and swallow. Also no "slippery" things like peaches, plums unless they have been smashed or pureed. And some real thin things may need to be thickened. Again just as a precaution until a swallow test is done.
If he is eligible for Hospice they will teach you what you need to know in order to help care for him. But you will have a nurse that will come weekly, a CNA that will come several times a week. And you will get other help as well as supplies and equipment. And Medicare covers Hospice.
With all the problems he has he may be eligible.
You don't "catch" aspiration pneumonia. That happens when food goes down the "wind pipe" to the lungs and not down the esophagus. This happens with dementia and can be a cause of death. And it can easily happen again. If a swallow test has not been done it might be good to look into it, in the mean time cut food into small bits, puree foods difficult to chew and swallow. Also no "slippery" things like peaches, plums unless they have been smashed or pureed. And some real thin things may need to be thickened. Again just as a precaution until a swallow test is done.
If he is eligible for Hospice they will teach you what you need to know in order to help care for him. But you will have a nurse that will come weekly, a CNA that will come several times a week. And you will get other help as well as supplies and equipment. And Medicare covers Hospice.