I have posted here before and received very helpful advice. My mother was determined to stay at her house and would become nasty if we even mentioned anything like AL. She also wouldn't agree to in-home care. But her short term memory was so bad that even when my sister visited daily, she would forget anyone had even come by. She recently fell and has broken her shoulder/humerus, went to ER and it was determined to let it heal in place. She is now in Rehab hospital and they are planning to discharge her after only 12 days. We are going to use this opportunity to move her AL with memory care and have already found her a location with an opening. The AL will do their assessment of her at the Rehab hospital today. She sees the Orthopedic Dr. tomorrow. Our story to her is that the move from Rehab hospital to AL temporary and a continuation of therapy - she still needs 24 hour care and we cannot provide that at home which is 100% true.
My questions to the forum are:
1) The AL we picked is unfurnished. Would it be better to bring some furniture from her home or should we rent generic furniture?
2) I asked the case manager at the Rehab hospital if they could prescribe a hospital bed for the AL and the case manager said the Dr at the Rehab hospital would need to prescribe it. My mother's bed at home is an antique bed that has a pretty high mattress height even when box springs are removed which I told the case manager. Any ideas on how to influence the Dr at the rehab hospital to prescribe a medical bed for the AL?
3) If they won't prescribe a medical bed, has anyone rented a medical bed and has advice what to look out for?
I appreciate any advice.
I would not take many things from home as she will know immediatly that she is there to stay unless you are ready with a factual story as in, it was less expensive to bring a few things from home that will make it more comfortable for you and us when we visit. The cost is less if we self furnish, etc.
My DH aunt didn’t want me to bring anything from home as she said she wouldn’t be there long. She really noticed when I would bring in extra things like more clothes, sheets etc. We all agreed we would have a big job taking things home when the doctor released her.🤗 No need to give her more anxiety than necessary.
About the hospital bed. If it is not to your liking, call other durable equipment suppliers and tell them what the problem is and see if they have an alternative. They don’t all supply the same bed. Some are used. The mattress will be new. Ask for a topper if it isn’t comfortable for her. I bought the XL twin sheets. The company who delivers may have more than one style as well.
My mom had one through Medicare and unlike hospice, it is hers if she uses long enough to pay it off. Medicare makes the payment to the company and mom’s supplement paid the copay. If your mom has a supplement and they still bill the same, you probably won’t get a bill. When it is delivered there will be a sticker with a phone number on the bed, you could call them and ask about the payment, mattress topper etc. They would have gotten the insurance info from the doctor who ordered it. You could also get a wheel chair for her and any other equipment needed that they supply. A transport wheelchair is handy when you need or want to take her out. Some facilities may have them but I got one from Medicare for my mom and one from hospice for Dh aunt.
Be mindful when you set the bed up so she can reach any call button etc made available with her better arm/shoulder. The delivery guys didn’t put aunts in the right place and several things had to be moved around after the fact.
If your mom were on hospice, the bed is a loaner and they pick it up when it is no longer needed.
Depending on her insurance she may qualify for home health services as she is a homebound senior. She might also qualify for hospice since she has dementia. I would stick with Home Health so she can get therapy without the hassle. Perhaps she is already signed up for Home Health.
Good luck. Let us know how it goes.
We will definitely check location of bed relative call button and her broken arm.
We are also setup for home health services from Rehab hospital.
We are also getting a white board to put on the wall. She seemed to really look at the one in the rehab hospital so I think it would be worth a try.
Thank you for your thoughtful helpful answer. :)
I honestly had not thought about what footwear to bring to AL.
She does use a walker sometimes at home so definitely will bring that. I had heard the Rehab hospital has caregiver training so I need to check on that. With her broken arm, is she supposed to use a walker?
Thank you for hi
"The doctor says you need to be here mom, with nurses around the clock."
I bought mom an adjustable twin bed when she was in Memory Care Assisted Living. Hopefully you can get her a hospital bed that raises and lowers which makes it easier for the staff to tend to her needs. Side rails are considered "restraints" in most managed care facilities, so find out BEFORE you do anything with rails. Even with hospice providing a hospital bed for mom, there were no side rails on it.
Keep guilt out of the equation here. Mom has advanced dementia and living alone is NOT an option, period. She's already in bad shape as a result of being stubborn, and things will not get better from here (in terms of her dementia). Now is your chance to stick to your guns and keep her safe and fed, regardless of any screaming fits she may throw. This is where the calming meds come in handy. Mom did well with Ativan.
Wishing you the best of luck with a difficult situation.
The guilt can be overwhelming for me and my sisters. We keep telling ourselves it is the disease and at the end of the day, my parents really didn't have a true retirement plan. My dad at least prepared financially so I do appreciate that for sure. But my mother just believed she would die one day in her house and that is not a plan. Sorry for venting.... It's been hard.
His PCP doctor can order a bed. Yes, use I his own furniture.
Getting the doctor to prescribe a medical bed won't be a problem. Just tell him what's up with your mother's bed at home and that she won't be able to get in and out of it.
If he gets fussy about making the order for one, her primary doctor or any doctor can do it.
Good luck dealing with Medicare to get it paid for though. They are so backed up with orders for them in the U.S. that they can't keep up. I have a client whose family had the doctor do the order 4 times and have been waiting over a year for the bed.
Your best bet if you need the bed soon would be to just buy your mother an adjustable twin bed. The head and foot raises and can be adjusted. The only difference is they can't be raised and they don't come with side rails. You can buy attatchable side rails for it though. All furniture and mattress stores have them. You can buy online too and save a few bucks.