My mother has advanced vascular dementia, so she is stable for a bit (usually every few months) and then declines suddenly. I was advised to enroll her in hospice following a hospitalization last September. She has since stabilized and improved a tiny bit (in that she can now stand-and-pivot to a wheel chair, scoot around a bit in the wheel chair), so they have discharged her. However, she is non-verbal, can’t feed herself, and sleeps most of the day. She doesn’t interact with people at all, and has a very poor quality of life. Enrolling her in hospice was a shock that I had to adjust to. I had finally wrapped my head around this new reality and seen it as a blessing...and now the world shifts again. I have no idea what to expect. Would appreciate any advice or insights. Thanks!
Fear not - her mother was put back on Home Hospice twice - they have to discharge when they no longer meet the criteria.
However, your mother should have been transferred to Home Health Care. If she wasn't, call the Hospice that discharged her and ask for advice. They're used to it. They will even contact your mother's physician to have Home Health Care requested again.
My DH never did meet the criteria for Home Hospice but the nurse found a "loophole" and he was on Hospice for only 3 days before he passed. But what a blessing they were for that 3 days! They cleaned and shaved him and they handled contacting the funeral director for me. And they stayed with me until the body was taken out.
I would have been a 'basket case' without the Hospice help.
Call them. Today. Now.
A friend of mine whose mother had dementia was discharged from home hospice to a nursing home where she lived for another 1 1/2 - 2 years before she passed.
As an aside, hospice workers are wonderful. The services they offer are great, including the Volunteer Family Caregivers (FCG). Now that my Dad has been gone for over1 1/2 years, I decided to take hospice training to be an FCG to pay back & forward. Their 8 week training course is intense and excellent. I look forward to my first connection in January.
If you have any questions about being/having an FCG, please let me know.
however, if all she has is dementia, there are rules for what must be present by the afflicted person in order to qualify for hospice. You can find that by googling Hospice dementia guidelines. If your mom meets all of those she could be admitted again.
it is a roller coaster going through them being admitted and then all of a sudden being discharged. But it does happen. If you think she qualified based on those guidelines speak with the director of nursing at hospice and go from there.
The Quality Improvement Organization might be able to help you keep your Mother on Hospice.
I appealed the decision and won,just by telling them exactly what was really going on with my Mother.I needed all the help I could get.The oxygen and supplies they brought were such a help and I liked it that the nurse and bathaid came to check on Mother too.My Mother ended up being on Hospice 3 and a half years straight.
Sounds like you could use the same help...
Take care and good luck with all this~