Follow
Share

Hi. Hope someone has advice, because I don't know where to start looking. Little background. My Mother had a stroke in September. She is paralysed on right side, cannot stand without hoist and frame, cannot walk at all, cannot move right arm (thank goodness she's a southpaw). Her language skills are slightly improving, some words, some gestures and some writing to make her needs known. She has a feeding tube, but can and does independently eat some foods, and is double incontinent and has catheter.
She is in a nursing home in Virginia where she is miserable. My younger brother had completed a large bedroom with walkin shower ensuite downstairs in his house in Indiana. He is ready to take Mom in and he, his wife and 2 of his childre (who are adults) are willing to learn nursing care for her from professional care we plan to buy in at first. The nursing home says she is fit to travel, but gives no indication of the length and type she may be able to cope with.
I think overland transport, no matter how comfortable the vehicle will be too much for her. My brother's wife was planning to fly to Mom, get her to commercial flight and bring her to Indiana. I don't think this is doable given all her physical limitations.
Has anyone had experience of interstate transport and the costs? I am afraid it will be terribly prohibitive. Her Virgnia Blue Cross and Shield has been used up by nursing home. We are waiting on medicaid but I doubt they would help with this as we want to move her out of state.
Thoughts?

This question has been closed for answers. Ask a New Question.
Find Care & Housing
I'm thinking that something like a medi-flight might be the best. It would be the shortest time and she could be monitored by medical personnel. I'm sure it would be expensive though.

I would have a concern as well that your brother's family may not realize the complicated task which they are about to undertake. Caring for someone full time is challenging but with stroke and paralysis issues involved, that task becomes much more complicated and demanding.

It's great though that your family plans to learn from professional staff first. That will help them ease into their caregiving tasks.

Back in the late 1990s I did some research and got information on various medical flights in the event that my SnowBird parents needed to come home quickly. You can try Googling "medi flights" and contact the various providers. As I recall, Angel Flights was one of the ones on which I collected information.

During your research, you'll learn about what the charges are and other relevant factors so you can create a checklist to use for comparison and help in selecting a service. If I recall correctly you're in England, so your brother's family will probably have to do the calling and information gathering. But it will help them in learning how to be prepared not only for the trip but the actual caregiving as well.

I honestly don't know of any financial support, but I also haven't checked out that issue. You might ask the social worker at the Virginia nursing home to assist you on this aspect. Or perhaps your brother's family could do the research.

Contact stroke support groups might help as well. The Rehab Institute of Michigan has for years offered stroke support in the form of therapy and occasional classes. My experience was that the therapists who worked there were very knowledgeable and helpful, beyond merely the scope of OT and PT.

However, that entire hospital system has been sold twice and is now being run by a for profit company, so some of their free community outreach efforts might have been eliminated.

There might also be a national stroke support group that could offer some insight on inter state transportation.

I believe also that she will have to be qualified by Indiana Medicaid once she arrives there.

I do think though that overland transportation would be difficult and uncomfortable. The trip might be doable in one day, but it would be stressful, probably on the transport people as well as your mother.
Helpful Answer (0)
Report

I know of people who make the trip from Ontario to Florida non stop with multiple drivers, so I think the overland route could be doable depending on your mom and with careful planning.
IF mom spends the majority of her day seated now it makes little difference whether in a car seat or her own special wheelchair in an accessible van.
IF mom is cognitively fine, able to consent and willing to put up with the hardship
IF you are able to plan a route with stops that include accessible restrooms and dining facilities.
Helpful Answer (0)
Report

Araminta, if your plans are to move Mom from Virginia to Indiana, then that is your choice, thus neither Medicare/Medicaid would help in the paying for transport. If you still decide to move Mom to Indiana, then Mom has to re-apply in Indiana to get Medicaid. Thus once she leaves the Commonwealth of Virginia, her Virginia Medicaid would stop at the State line. If there is an medical emergency, Medicare would help with the hospitalization anywhere in the U.S.

Forget the commercial flight for Mom, there is no way a commercial carrier would want to be responsible for someone in your Mom's medical condition. The airlines are not equip to handle those types of medical conditions. In another post you wrote, you mentioned that your Mom is thinking other people are harming her, I wouldn't be surprised if she would have the same episodes on the commercial flight airplane.

As GardenArtist had mentioned above, a medi-flight would be the best thing for her, but it would be costly as medical personnel would be needed throughout the flight. Another suggestion if your Mom is able to sit in a wheelchair, there are medical mini-van taxis that will do transporting. Again, it would be expensive. And I don't know if they supply medical staff on the trip.
Helpful Answer (0)
Report

freqflyer. Mom is quite lucid. Her memory is fine. She knows who everyone is that visits her and has from the start. She remembers the lyrics to loads of songs and is partly able to vocalise them when I forget. She was writing her own name, my older brother's name and my son's name (albeit with letters upside down or transposed) 2 weeks after her stroke. She just has slurred language issues. She has indicated that she is enjoying activities at the home. If she indicates that she is being hurt by one staff member who works at night to 2 different people then I believe her.
I think overland is the way to go providing it is a smooth ride, comfortable gurney and well staffed. I am still searching and trying to figure out how we can fund it.
Helpful Answer (0)
Report

We took a very sick patient from Buffalo to the Outer Banks in NC by renting a motor home. We put her in the bed, hung the IV and drove there with rest stops at night. Very important to rest at night, for the patient's sake as well as your own. It took three of us: two driving and one in constant attendance to the patient.
Helpful Answer (2)
Report

I'm getting confused, on 2 levels:

1. Original post here:
"She is in a nursing home in Virginia where she is miserable."

Follow-up post:
"She has indicated that she is enjoying activities at the home".

At least she's not miserable all of the time.

Has anyone tried to address the issue of her fears as you wrote about in your other post? It would certainly be cheaper to keep her where she is, and it might work out in such a way that she's happier than she is now. It seems the dissatisfaction turns on her fears and the staff who are causing her problems.

2. It seems as though you've already decided not to move her by air. But financial support still seems to be an issue. If you're going to move her by land, I think Pam's idea is a good one. I'm sure though that Pam didn't get any financial support.

I think though that you're going to have to reconcile yourself to paying for this move with funds that your family has.
Helpful Answer (1)
Report

My Inlaws were evacuated during a hurricane and wound up 8 hours away from home. FEMA finally agreed to bring them home via ambulance. Our plan was to rent a van and hire moonlighting EMS staff to go with us if FEMA had not come through. My FIL passed the night before the ambulances arrived. My MIL lived one month and one day after my FIL. She made it home fine in the ambulance but she did not have the complications of your mom. She could transfer, etcetera. An 8 hour trip was doable in one day. I'm not sure how many hours it would be for your mom's trip. If you had professionals along with the future caretakers I suppose it would be an opportunity for additional training.
Helpful Answer (1)
Report

Garden Artist. She was enjoying activites and indicated she did not want to move to my brother (i think she feared being a burden) until they moved her to the new wing with new staff. Now she is miserable. They cut her physical and speech therapy as well when they moved her. Not that this bothers her. I think she finds both too frustrating and the physical therapy painful.
Anyway she was contented until the moved her and now she is not.
Helpful Answer (0)
Report

12 hour trip, an RV will present problems with getting her on and off board. She cannot safely or comfortable be carried. RV door is too narrow for wheelchair.

I've decided as this is making me more ill (stress is not good for autoimmune diseases) that I will use up my little savings and disability living allowance to pay for overland professional transport. It will set my mind at ease re her safety and comfort. I've contacted her church in hopes they may send more visitors and discourage further abuse.
Helpful Answer (0)
Report

UPDATE: I arranged and paid for her transport. She is very happy in my brother's home, surrounded by kids, grandkids and great grankids. A Mother's day present for the whole family.
Helpful Answer (2)
Report

This question has been closed for answers. Ask a New Question.
Ask a Question
Subscribe to
Our Newsletter