After another stay in the hospital, my mom is ready to come home again. I’m leaning towards letting them put her in rehab. Besides getting a much needed break, I know that with me she is going to sleep the day away unless I get her up or actively engage with her. She will be fussy about meals and will decline to exercise. Just wondering if more of those basic things that keep us healthy and mobile are part of daily life at a home. Or is it free will no matter where you’re at? She is routinely dehydrated and gets many UTIs. She’s also a fall risk so needs to keep up her strength to transfer from bed to commode. I often threaten she will need to go into a nursing home if she becomes an invalid.
If they offer rehab, take it. Like said Medicare pays 20 days, after that the next 21 to100 days are 50%. While there have her evaluated for 24/7 care. If they say its needed, then you can decide to place her. Either private pay if she has the assets or with Medicaid paying. Sometimes they are better with strangers than their caregiver,
A nursing home like those above can't force residents to participate, but if it's a good place, they'll have her in the room with those who are participating even if she declines. Eventually she may choose to join in.
My mother never exercised intentionally in her life, and I was astounded to see her whacking balloons with pool noodles and doing morning stretches with the other residents in her MC. At home, she was waited on hand and foot by my dad and she could easily push back on him, so she never did anything she didn't want to do.
Socializing is as important as exercising, so your mom would benefit from a nursing home no matter how much she resists.
If she is non compliant they will encourage her but cannot force cooperation.
She may do better at home with home health PT and OT.