The Dr. is forcing her. She had a very large amount of water retention and became a fall risk. She has been hospitalized and they drained the fluid but the Dr still insists that she goes
I'd trust the dr. He/she sees the whole picture. PT is not easy to do on an in-home basis. Once she gets her feet back under her, she can probably continue this at home.
Your question isn't "complete" so I'm just feeling around in the dark for an answer.
I'm sure she doesn't want to go, but often, those choices are taken from us by circumstances beyond out control. Kindly explain to mom that this is for her own good and she will bounce back quicker with regular PT. If you are supportive, more likely she will be a better, more compliant patient.
Is the alternative to going to rehab going home? If you don't trust the doctor, could you ask for a second opinion regarding what sort of care she needs? What do her nurses say about how she's doing?
Do you think she's capable of managing by herself at home at this point? Because if she isn't, she will not only have to have PT at home but somebody will have to stay with her and take care of her. Is there someone capable and willing to do that?
Is the "Rehab Center" for physical therapy located in a LTC facility (AKA nursing home)? Is it possible that your Mom thinks that she is being put into a nursing home? If so, you can explain to her that lots of people spend time in a LTC facility or Skilled Care Center for rehabilitation--physical therapy &/or occupational therapy, after they have had hip or knee replacements (or other health problems) and then go home after 4-6 weeks depending on how well the person does in therapy. My Mom (at age 83) had a knee replacement 4 years ago and went to the local Skilled Rehab/LTC facility for physical therapy and occupational therapy. She came home after 4 weeks of therapy.
Another positive is that the nursing staff can monitor your Mom for fluid retention and contact the doctor so that your Mom gets treatment for the fluid retention sooner. How did the doctor & hospital "drain" the fluid from your Mom's body? Just with medications or did they have to use more drastic treatments?
I agree with "Midkid58" that the more positive and supportive you are about physical therapy at the rehab facility, the more likely your Mom will be a better & more compliant patient.
TMoore, rehab in a facility with therapists and staff that can be available 24/7 is really the best way to recover. It may not be desirable, but going directly home would be a real gamble. She might be too weak to manage, may fall again, and end up right back in the hospital.
Give her as much support as you can, be there when she's transferred to a rehab facility, and help her adjust.
In the meantime, check out the recommended rehab facilities. I recently posted a long list of issues to check when interviewing a potential rehab facility. If I can find it, I'll provide a link. It will help you find a facility and is better than just relying on a social worker's recommendation. I've found that facilities that aren't any good at all can be on those recommendation lists.
There must be some misunderstanding about what rehab is. I spent three weeks in rehab after major surgery last year. It was wonderful: three tasty meals a day with no effort on my part; aides just a call button away for any need; sympathetic but firm therapists who cheered me along as I regained my strength. I hadn't felt so rested in years!
Ask her why she doesn't want to go. Listening carefully to what she says, reassure her point by point. Encourage her to a) to go to rehab and b) to take full advantage of the therapies and convalescent care she will have there. If you can, attend PT sessions as a cheerleader, and also to educate yourself so that you can help follow through after she is discharged.
If she still doesn't want to go, or if she has valid reasons for not wanting to go (I can't imagine what they might be, but then again that's the whole point of listening carefully to what she says and not just dismissing her anxieties), then as her primary advocate you will have to back her up. But you owe it to her and to yourself to understand what the consequences will be, and they won't be good.
No one can force your Mom to go. If she is forced and refuses to participate Medicare won't pay and she will be discharged. Has she been before and had a bad experience?
The last time Mom was in I swore she would never go again. She had Dementia. She had rehab maybe an hour in the morning and again in the afternoon for an hour. The rest of the time she was in a wheelchair which she was uncomfortable in. I requested she be put in a chair, I requested cushions...The last care meeting I had I was told she would never walk again without assistance. She was only in rehab because of a 4 day hospital stay. Just to get her strength back. I told them I couldn't see how she could walk after being in a WC most of the time. Got her back to the AL and within 24hrs she was back walking all over with her walker.
I would ask about homecare. They will evaluate. A schedule will be set up with PT, OT and a nurse. You can get an aide. Mom was set up with exercises to do between sessions.
Your question isn't "complete" so I'm just feeling around in the dark for an answer.
I'm sure she doesn't want to go, but often, those choices are taken from us by circumstances beyond out control. Kindly explain to mom that this is for her own good and she will bounce back quicker with regular PT. If you are supportive, more likely she will be a better, more compliant patient.
Another positive is that the nursing staff can monitor your Mom for fluid retention and contact the doctor so that your Mom gets treatment for the fluid retention sooner. How did the doctor & hospital "drain" the fluid from your Mom's body? Just with medications or did they have to use more drastic treatments?
I agree with "Midkid58" that the more positive and supportive you are about physical therapy at the rehab facility, the more likely your Mom will be a better & more compliant patient.
Give her as much support as you can, be there when she's transferred to a rehab facility, and help her adjust.
In the meantime, check out the recommended rehab facilities. I recently posted a long list of issues to check when interviewing a potential rehab facility. If I can find it, I'll provide a link. It will help you find a facility and is better than just relying on a social worker's recommendation. I've found that facilities that aren't any good at all can be on those recommendation lists.
https://www.agingcare.com/questions/mom-broke-her-hip-how-do-we-find-a-good-snf-for-her-recovery-438395.htm
Listening carefully to what she says, reassure her point by point.
Encourage her to a) to go to rehab and b) to take full advantage of the therapies and convalescent care she will have there. If you can, attend PT sessions as a cheerleader, and also to educate yourself so that you can help follow through after she is discharged.
If she still doesn't want to go, or if she has valid reasons for not wanting to go (I can't imagine what they might be, but then again that's the whole point of listening carefully to what she says and not just dismissing her anxieties), then as her primary advocate you will have to back her up. But you owe it to her and to yourself to understand what the consequences will be, and they won't be good.
The last time Mom was in I swore she would never go again. She had Dementia. She had rehab maybe an hour in the morning and again in the afternoon for an hour. The rest of the time she was in a wheelchair which she was uncomfortable in. I requested she be put in a chair, I requested cushions...The last care meeting I had I was told she would never walk again without assistance. She was only in rehab because of a 4 day hospital stay. Just to get her strength back. I told them I couldn't see how she could walk after being in a WC most of the time. Got her back to the AL and within 24hrs she was back walking all over with her walker.
I would ask about homecare. They will evaluate. A schedule will be set up with PT, OT and a nurse. You can get an aide. Mom was set up with exercises to do between sessions.