I am trying to prepare for any special needs related to hernia repair for my husband that I may not have considered. Any surgery for someone with PD can be difficult. In the past he has had surgeries including quadruple bypass and a broken hip so I have already dealt with difficult issues with medication management and general setbacks during and after hospitalization. I have the "Aware in Care" kit to help me better communicate with the staff. Waiting on a cardiologist appointment to see if he will be cleared for surgery. He is mobile and walks around the house without a walker or my assistance, sometimes needing help getting up. I use a wheelchair in public to make it easier if we need to walk a long distance. I am still very protective with COVID protocol because of his vulnerability.
His dementia was advanced and he really couldn’t handle the ER. He needed to have the surgery, but he wasn’t able to recover mainly due to the dementia. He couldn’t swallow any longer and unfortunately we had to make some tough choices.
For you, I would say, since he has dementia, to make sure he’s not getting agitated, and make sure you can speak for him if you think he needs pain meds while there. If you don’t feel he’s getting proper treatment, especially due to the dementia, make sure to speak up to the nurses and doctor. He’ll be on a surgical recovery floor and they may not be equipped to handle dementia patients. That’s not their fault, they don’t deal with it everyday like you do. The quicker you can get him out of that environment the better off he’ll be.