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Dad is 95 and has been hospitalized for 5 days with heart failure and pulmonary issues. So far he has not been able to get out of bed to walk even with assistance. He needs PT coaching to try to walk again. Baseline is my sister and I (who live with him) assist him to toilet together with gait belt and walker. Hospital has agreed to move him to their rehab floor for 7 days. During this time we will be Looking for an in home caregiver who can care for him IF he is bedridden (assuming PT may not work). Simultaneously we are researching skilled nursing facilities but this option scares us fearing he will not get the PT attention he needs to come back home. My question is what terminology do I use when looking for a caregiver with skills to lift him to chair/ to toilet, attend to incontinence issues, turn him every two hours if he is bedridden at home? Is it just ‘non ambulatory’ or is there something else that I should be communicating to caregiver service companies? Calling these companies is truly exhausting.


Jill

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Eyerishlass, Didn't ur admitting Nurse notice how the patient was when she evaluated him?
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I agree with Countrymouse. In-home care companies don't expect you to use medical terminology. You can tell them what you told us and that would convey your father's needs for them. If your dad may be bedridden, tell them that. If he can only get up when he is lifted that's called a "full assist" but make sure you tell the companies you're speaking with that it takes both you and your sister to get him to the commode and to a chair. That's vital information. If someone is a 2-person assist some in-home healthcare companies can't supply the staff for that.

When I worked in hospice I had a new patient. I wasn't given much information and I figured that was because it was a typical hospice situation but it turns out the patient was unable to move her body at all. She required 100% assistance. She was dead weight and I was unable to move her at all without injuring myself. I called my office and explained the situation to them. They spoke to the husband and it turns out he wasn't forthcoming about his wife's inability to move. I was dismissed from that job within an hour because it was un-doable.

So just be honest with the companies you're speaking with. Believe me, they want your business so they'll do what they can to work with you as long as they have all the information.
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SistersCare, this is a little off topic but what have your father's hospital team discussed with you about your father's prognosis?

I've got nothing against PT. Anything that contributes to muscle tone and joint mobility is a Good Thing. But PT with a view to getting him ambulatory again as rapidly as possible...

You know best what's best for your father, but to an outsider that seems quite ambitious.
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I would expect the companies to be asking the relevant questions, rather than their expecting you to know all the right keywords. They should complete a full needs questionnaire before they recommend a service package. Are you not finding that they do that?
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