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Sorry Luke. That is a lot to go thru

My condolences, luke.

My mom fell last night. She was so weak she couldn't stand or control her bladder/bowels. She ended up at St. Mary's ER and was admitted with what they think is pneumonia but they're still running tests.

She is mostly sleeping but when she does wake up she has no idea where she is or what all the fuss is about. My 2 in-town sisters are taking turns at her bedside.

I'm in Boston with the kid, will probably reroute to St. Louis for a few days to see her and help out. Her doc is talking about skilled care home as next step.

Sorry to hear that Rad.

Radbird wrote:My mom fell last night. She was so weak she couldn't stand or control her bladder/bowels. She ended up at St. Mary's ER and was admitted with what they think is pneumonia but they're still running tests.

She is mostly sleeping but when she does wake up she has no idea where she is or what all the fuss is about. My 2 in-town sisters are taking turns at her bedside.

I'm in Boston with the kid, will probably reroute to St. Louis for a few days to see her and help out. Her doc is talking about skilled care home as next step.

I'm sure she's disoriented. When my mother fell and wound up in the hospital, I was told that it's normal for elderly patients to have trouble figuring out where they are--especially at night.

I'm sure your sisters are doing this, but check in with the social worker at the hospital who specializes in the needs of elderly patients. That person can be a big help.

I also got a lot of help from Lutheran Senior Services, which helps anybody: http://lssliving.org/in-home-services/o ... -services/

Finally, you and your sisters will probably need to move fast to find her a skilled-care home. I was shocked at how quickly I had to move. Each state is different, but if it's skilled-nursing care rather than assisted living, it will be very expensive. I'm being motherly here, but eventually, I needed to consult an elder-law specialist to help me prepare my mother for Medicaid. It helped a lot.

Falling is often the first sign a parent can no longer be independent. Good luck with this.

Time for the next step. Turned out to be the flu. While at St Mary's, she woke up and tried to go home. Ripped out her IV and headed for the door before they could respond to the alarm. She was moved to a rehab center and fell again in the bathroom.

I'm headed home today to see her and meet with the sisters to figure things out. There's a memory care place in Webster that looks promising.

Thanks for the info, sigh. It'll come in handy.

Sorry to hear all of this for everyone.

Praying for the best for your mom Rad and very sorry to hear about your step dad luke.

Radbird wrote:Time for the next step. Turned out to be the flu. While at St Mary's, she woke up and tried to go home. Ripped out her IV and headed for the door before they could respond to the alarm. She was moved to a rehab center and fell again in the bathroom.

I'm headed home today to see her and meet with the sisters to figure things out. There's a memory care place in Webster that looks promising.

Thanks for the info, sigh. It'll come in handy.

If you're talking about the one across from City Hall, that's where my stepfather went initially. It's a nice place but if you are at all concerned about her being able to remain there (due to loss of mobility, combativeness, etc) then I would go ahead and look at a skilled nursing facility because it really sucks having to move again and again.

Rad, you and your sisters should check out Nazareth Living Center in south county.

http://www.nazarethlivingcenter.com/