My husband's dad is an 85-year-old, 200 lb man who fell and broke his back Christmas Day. This required emergency surgery and extensive hardware during a 5 hour surgery to repair L4. Before the fall he was able to shuffle-walk using a rollator.
After two weeks of intensive PT, OT and SLP at an acute rehab hospital he is making no progress and being discharged to Skilled Nursing. He cannot sit up in bed on his own. He cannot stand up even with support. The rehab hospital uses a lift to move him from bed to wheelchair in which he is strapped in and wearing a full soft clamshell like brace.
Today, the admissions coordinator at the SNF asked if dad would be coming home to live with us? WHAAAAT...?
We live 70 miles from town in a rural community where there is limited home healthcare options. Honestly given dad's condition her question gobsmacked me.
What kind of help and equipment is needed to provide in-home care in a situation like this?
I took care of my bedridden mom, using the type of equipment you saw. Never in a million years should you try using a Hoyer Lift on someone like your Dad who has a broken back or back or spinal surgery. Too risky, too dangerous and don't even consider it. No!!
This is too much for you, and I am sorry someone at the facility even mentioned it to you. They are wrong. He needs professional care at a facility. No exceptions.
My MIL was in an excellent facility in LTC for 7 yrs on Medicaid. She got great care.
You must insist that he can't live with you. Look around the rehab at the equipment they use for him - that's what you'd need ++++++ more as his condition worsens. In today's world, health care people assume that the average caregiver can provide care for persons with health issues like your FIL. During my days as a family caregiver for my parents and another relative, I was expected to give shots in the stomach, load a 45 lb. wheelchair into my car trunk after transferring a 175 lb. man from the chair to the passenger seat of the car, remove doors from their hinges so a wheelchair could go through the door, and more.
My best advice is to look stupid, hunch your back over a bit and walk with a cane. That's what I wish I'd done before I got roped into services that I looked able to do but wasn't.
He needs a 24/7 caregiver. Live in rates in Chicago are is $250-350 per day
It truly is an “unsafe discharge”
He will need to go to a nursing home, LTAC or skilled nursing types of places.
Everything they have in a full care facility. Hospital beds, lifts, trained staff 24/7...
Unless your FIL is extremely wealthy, home care is not an available choice.