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My mom is 91 years old. Up until 3 months ago she was doing great, able to live on her own. Had a fall and was found by me after being down over night. She had alot of protiens built up in her muscles from the fall and started having kidney function failure. She now lives with me in my home.
She isn't at all the same mom I knew and loved 3 months ago. She was diagnosed with a severe dementia decline and they are now sending out a social worker to start paperwork for Hospice. I am willing to try anything? I am exhausted, sleep deprived and stir crazy. What experiences have you all had with Hospice. What should I expect from them?

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My mom has alzheimer's and had a terrible case of bronchitis my friend told me to call hospice I did they saved my mom's life. For the first week they had nurses round the clock then when my mom got better the nurse came everyday. They brought in oxygen, something for her breathing. After two months in bed she was better and now 7 months later they still come to bathe her everyday. She goes to Day Care twice a week at Easter Seals. The nurse comes to check her vital signs. They give you everything you need for incontinence; if she needed cough syrup or anti-biotics it was given to her. Hospice brings a hospital bed and everything she needs. It has been great. couldn't have done it without them and it doesn't cost a dime. Comes out of Medicare. good Luck.
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What constitutes receiving hospice services for an 89 year old mid stage Alzheimers patient receiving medicare? I've been the sole caregiver for my mother for two years. Although, watching my mom decline is like grieving, I thought you have to be dying to receive hospice help? What is the definition of dying for a Alzheimers patient and is hospice help something my mother could be eligible for?
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Hi, after my mom fell and hit her head and broke her arm; we had to put her in a nursing/rehab center. Mom had alz & parkinsons and had lost a lot of weight. So the weight of the cast really unbalanced her, that is why she had to go to rehab. They were fantastic, loving and treated her like she was their mom, They gave her hugs and held her hand. With as advanced as my mom was, the head hit just snowballed her illness. She stopped walking, soon after she stopped chewing and 3 weeks after entering hospice she passed away with all of her family near. The nurses kept coming in to see how she was ... not to see if she was dead yet. They wanted to make her comfortable and help us out anyway possible. We could not have done it at home with the grace & dignity they gave my mom. Also thre was a nurse that resembled my and mom thought it was me ; so mom thought I was there every day. I lived 200 miles away and worked so I was up on the weekends. My dad cared for my mom from diagnosis at 60yr until her heath at 73 yrs. Bless them both. I would use Hospice again if i had to. Best wishes & big hugs!
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I think you are all lucky to have Hospice care like that. I had bad experiences with them and stopped them. My Mom is also 91 severe dementia, and lives in my home. They came 3 mornings and said Mom was too difficult a case without two LNA's and the girl hurt her back rolling her so, they can send someone for an hour in the late afternoons possibly. Well, I need help getting Mom out of bed, not in the afternoon when she is all bathed, fed, and napping until supper.The diapers and chux pads were thin/ cheap, and didnt stop the urine, not worth using unless you put them over good quality ones that you buy. The only good thing I got was an extra hoyer sling but they picked it up the very next day that I canceled them.You dont need them for medical equipment. I got a hoyer lift, free sling and hospital bed prescriptions from Moms doctor and called a medicare authorized pharmacy and they delivered what I needed free. As for mornings, I hired my part time CNA for every morning now and I do the rest . Mom doesnt walk or talk, she is heavy and strong but her brain doesnt tell her how to walk or roll any more, and she resists. I cant get her up alone and thats all I wanted from Hospice, they didnt pull through for me. I could tell you more about them and others who werent happy either. They call and the nurse drops by weekly, the social worker and chaplin call, etc, and to be honest, I am too busy to be talking on the phone and having drop-by's. When Mom has her music/nap time I have 1-2 hours to get my housework done and really dont need or want company. Please know that when You sign on for Hospice you can no longer call the ambulance if you need one. You have to call Hospice for everything, including illnesses, dont go to the doctor OR you will pay out of pocket. I am so happy there are good agencies out there but for me, they didnt help at all. Best of Luck to you, a fall is devastating but they can recover, my Mom has 4 pins in her hip and she recovered years ago, it took PT at home, and lots of good food, music and love.
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I am so happy that you had so many wonderful years with your mom. Dementia is very difficult and my mother in law struggled for almost 8 years.
I don't know how to say this tactfully but Hospice is not normally called in until the end. It is the most wonderful gift in the world. Medicare and Medicaid will only pay for 6 months of service but I learned to appreciate each and every day and not focus on the end. I have a belief system that allows me to acknowledge that the time on earth is just time that we are preparing for something that is so much better.
Mom had brief moments of recollection and I lived for those times. She was dangerous to herself and others with her illness and she had to be in a nursing home but we were there with her all the time and still brought her home for holidays and birthdays and family events.
We were able in the end to bring her home and she died here in her tv room with my laying in bed with her and praying and singing "Amazing Grace". My objective was to make her life happy and I didn't want her to be afraid. She knew she was home. I had a nurse every day to help me. Because of her size and she could no longer move on her own, I needed help.
Mom had left us her house but we were in the process of fixing 20 plus years of disrepair to sell the home to pay for nursing home expenses. She always knew she was home in the end even though prior to that at visits, she was really unaware. She was able to tell us things that we never expected she would ever remember. She was so grateful to be home.
The nurses would stay an hour or two and in the end...they would stay overnight. They trained me on how to give her medication and kept me involved in what to look for. I always had an emergency number and there was a professional only a phone call away. I couldn't control the illness but I could make sure she didn't have pain and she was comfortable in her environment. They also had a minister who would come and visit us. I have a son in college and a 15 year old who I was worried wouldn't handle this well. They both thought it was the best thing and was happy to make her life as wonderful as she had done for us for years.
Do you have a local church? If not call your local Services for the Aging. Also, through the hospital, try to get a case worker who can help you with some of these things.
Hospice will also have a respite service...depending on which one you go with.
If you need any more information, please let me know. This time was so difficult for us but I was so grateful to have that time. When she passed, we had told her it was time and she wasn't afraid....and we weren't either. She died the day after Thanksgiving and even though the day before and the day after Thanksgiving she couldn't move or communicate. She woke up Thanksgiving morning to the smell of the season and she was her old self trying to help me cook and willing to do dishes if I could help get her out of bed. God gave us our last Thanksgiving together. God Bless!
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Msdaizy, I've heard so much good about n only 2 things EVER that were not so good. Both about same particular agency-others chimed to report concerns and change to a diff hospice. Steff, hospice provides palliative care as well, to those who have life-limiting illnesses, not just cancer. In the district, u may have choice of several providers in md, va, n dc. Check for reviews n visit local n national hospice sites-wealth of info on them. Also contact area on aging agency for your locale. They can advise of programs in your area for respite services, volunteer visiting programs, funding for day programming, n other helpful resources. I hope you both find some help and relief, it's hard isn't it? Stick around the AC site-it has helped me so much. Best of luck, let us know how it's going. Kimbee
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I have been told that hospice will help with ur Mom's every need, certain meds, equipment, hygiene needs, etc. My mom, with end stage vascular dementia, was recently eval'd for hospice and was turned down for now bc she says more than 6 words/day. They told me that was Medicare rule. I believe that if ur mom qualifies, you cannot go wrong. Besides, if the group that u sign up with doesn't work out, u can fire them and get another agency that is Medicare certified.
Best wishes! I know how u feel....
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Your mom does not have to be dying to receive hospice care we use Season's hospice in miami. They have helped her for 8 months and still bathe her everyday. Call hospice in your area and they will give you info. Good Luck I am so happy with them if hadn't been for a firend telling me about them I would have been a basket case.
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Dementia is a terminal illness and when it gets to a certain stage Hospice can help, has to be recommended by primary care doctor. They don't stay on Hospice if they get better, some times hospice can help them improve. Hospice is there for the care giver, family and the patient. I'm a caregiver and work with dementia patients, the whole body begins to shut down in the last stage. Hospice is there for comfort.
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Getting my mom onto Hospice care was by far the best gift I ever gave her! My only regret was not getting her signed up for hospice sooner - I was ignorant that she had options to be on hospice longer than a month or so. She went from getting minimal care in a nursing home (despite her advanced dementia) to having a whole team of caring professionals at her disposal. Not only did they allow her to die with dignity, the help they offered me and my brother was just invaluable.
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