Taken as directed morphine is like any other medication that is used for pain. While she should not drive or operate other equipment other tasks should not be a problem. If there is a question if her competency is effected maybe make decisions prior to taking the medication. But I doubt there should be a problem. (honestly out of pain she is probably more competent then she would be if she were in the amount of pain that she must have for the doctor to prescribe morphine)
I took morphine when my bone cancer was at its worst. It's no different than taking any other pain killer, really, only that it made me more sleepy. I was perfectly lucid and functional the few times I had to take morphine. People think it's going to be some out of this world mind numbing experience, which it's not. I was even on a morphine drip while pregnant to stop early contractions and was in a twilight sleep as a result. That's all. Once the iv drip ended, I was back to awake and my usual self.
Best of luck to your wife and I'm sorry you're both going thru this.
That would be dependent on how much morphine she is requiring. Some patients require so much that they are virtually asleep.
Only you know the competency and the actions you mom is capable of. There is no reason to mention pain killers of ANY KIND in the circumstances you mention. Pain killers do not remove your ability to think or to act, again, dependent on dose required.
No, unless she is overdosing herself and can barely function. This would be obvious if she were doing this. I've been on morphine after a c-section. I felt totally fine cognitively. They tell you to not drive on prescription pain meds due because it can impact your motor skills and reaction times (and this was certainly true when I was recently on Delaudid after knee surgery) but it didn't impact my decision-making functions.
When my husband and I went to the elder law attorney to create our trust we were not asked whether we were taking any prescription pain meds. I accompanied my elderly Aunt to her elder law attorney. She was made to have a private interview to assess her capacity and make sure she wasn't being pressured (and they do this as a matter of course, not because they suspected anything -- my Aunt is cognitively stellar and it shows).
Your wife, if she is taking appropriate doses of her pain med, should be fine in executing those 2 actions. I did an internet search and found nothing about prescription pain meds preventing people from doing such things. I think it is something that gets called into question "after the fact", like if someone suspects that person made a decision they normally would not have made because they were "under the influence". Then the accuser would have to legally and medically prove this.
If there is a question if her competency is effected maybe make decisions prior to taking the medication. But I doubt there should be a problem. (honestly out of pain she is probably more competent then she would be if she were in the amount of pain that she must have for the doctor to prescribe morphine)
Best of luck to your wife and I'm sorry you're both going thru this.
Only you know the competency and the actions you mom is capable of.
There is no reason to mention pain killers of ANY KIND in the circumstances you mention.
Pain killers do not remove your ability to think or to act, again, dependent on dose required.
When my husband and I went to the elder law attorney to create our trust we were not asked whether we were taking any prescription pain meds. I accompanied my elderly Aunt to her elder law attorney. She was made to have a private interview to assess her capacity and make sure she wasn't being pressured (and they do this as a matter of course, not because they suspected anything -- my Aunt is cognitively stellar and it shows).
Your wife, if she is taking appropriate doses of her pain med, should be fine in executing those 2 actions. I did an internet search and found nothing about prescription pain meds preventing people from doing such things. I think it is something that gets called into question "after the fact", like if someone suspects that person made a decision they normally would not have made because they were "under the influence". Then the accuser would have to legally and medically prove this.