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My Dad (88) went in the hospital because of pneumonia.

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If the hospital knows that your Dad lives alone, there could be a chance that your Dad might be placed in a rehab facility for a couple of weeks to help gain his strength after having pneumonia.
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My mom was sent to rehab after pneumonia, then sent home with visiting nurse and PT stoppping by house. If you feel he needs more support, find out if an aid can come to help. My mom was given an aid 3 times a week and she was willing to do anything we needed. Also, if ou have concerns, discuss them with the hospital's social worker. They should contact you to create a discharge plan.
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an assessment may be in order . a social worker may come to the home and personally watch him get on and off the crapper , look for fall hazards , etc . im betting phys rehab will come first . a week in a hospital bed causes a lot of muscle loss ..
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We live in NJ and my mom and my in laws both now gave Visiting Drs that come to the house, they have a whole network of social workers, eye Drs, Podiatrists and even Dentists....they are in many areas now and extremely helpful.....Google Visiting Drs and I pray they are in your area as they are life changing for both patients and caregivers!
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I just came from working as an OT at a hospital where my role is to assess people that are admitted for everything from falls, hip/knee replacements, strokes and yes, pneumonia to see if they are capable of taking care of themselves at home. I assess everything from ability to get around, performs ADLs (dressing, bathing, toileting etc), household chores, cognition etc. I then make a recommendation to the doctor/case manager/family whether the person can return home or needs to go for further therapy to regain their safe independence. So ask for a therapy eval!
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He may be eligible for home health services after the hospitalization. Speak with the social worker.
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What Lily said!
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My relative was 89 went he went to the hospital for pneumonia. After two or three days he was sent to a nursing home for rehab -- they kept him there until his medicare ran out [three weeks, I think] and would have gotten him on medicaid and kept him longer if I hadn't said "enough's enough" -- the rehab wasn't doing much good and he lived (comfortably) with me. [I should make it clear that he also had issues with his legs which your father may not have. Two years later, unfortunately, he must go to a nursing home as he needs more care than I can provide.]

Anyway, a nursing home can't legally hold someone if they don't want to be there, so the question is: can your father at 88 live home alone even if he gets visiting nurses or home aides? Warning: I did not find the social workers attached to the hospital or the nursing home very helpful; the latter's job was really to get my relative to permanently enter the nursing home so medicaid could pay them $10,000 or so a month. If your father would rather remain home, use this time when he's in the hospital/home to explore all of your options. Is there a Foundation for Senior Citizens in your city? A social worker for a group like that is more reliable than one whose bread is buttered by a hospital or nursing home. Hopefully with visiting nurses or the help of siblings or home aids you can come up with a workable plan. But as difficult as it is, if your father can't really live alone at home anymore, you may have no choice. But explore your options first -- and hopefully others here will have some further advice as well. Best to both of you -- and good luck!
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