I'm really at a loss right now. My 87 year old grandmother had a spill two months ago and broke her hip. The trauma of surgery and rehab amongst other things has triggered memory loss so my mom took her in for an evaluation. It turns out she's in the early stages of dementia and she was diagnosed with early stage blood cancer which requires her to get a shot and her blood drawn every day. My mother is currently trying to take care of this all herself but it's wearing her out. My father recently passed away and my mom works 50+ hours a week on top of looking in on my grandma. We've looked into assisted living homes but the wait period is just too long. My mom inquired about an in-home caregiver but she's been very vague about the response. I don't know what to do. I work full-time and live 30 miles away from both of them which makes it difficult to them on a regular basis. I know my mom is stressed out and she is so upset over the loss of my father and I feel completely helpless. Any advice or information anyone can provide would be extremely helpful!
1. Hire a home health aide to drive grandma to and from daily doctor appointments and to help with other household chores as needed.
2. If grandma meets the criteria for being home bound (it is a difficult and taxing effort for her to leave home) then ask her physician to order a home health nurse to come and give the injections and draw the blood in home.
3. Respite at assisted living - some assisted living facilities may have space for grandma at their facility for a short time, maybe two or so weeks. Many assisted living facilities are able to administer injections. Ask them about this. They will also have a lab come daily and draw the blood onsite.
A geriatric care manager can help make recommendations and coordinate the needed care for you and your mom. You can find one at http://memberfinder.caremanager.org/
Good luck, my thoughts are with you and your family.