My mother, 96 years old, a resident of a nursing home, has advanced dementia (unable to walk, feed herself without assistance, speak coherently) and has very delicate skin. She recently had a stage two bedsore on her lower back. The bedsore is now closed and healed. I'm wondering what others may have experienced with their loved one having a bedsore? Will it reoccur even though it is now healed? Is this an indication of end of life? Most of all, I want my Mom’s remaining time to be pain free and comfortable. Would appreciate any insights you may have.
My mom’s had bed sores starting and I truly believe if it hadn’t been for Hospice that the staff at the memory care would not have been on top of this the way Hospice was.
I Wish your mom and you blessings in this journey
As to whether this or any sore is an indication of end of life nearing, the age and general condition indicates that yes, you are approaching end of life irregardless of bed sores. The bedsores are but one side effect of all that happens at end of life with lack of muscle, lack of mobility, poor nutrition, incontinence and etc.
Often bedsores move to sepsis which can kill very quickly with failure of all major organs.
I am uncertain why you wish to list "bedsore" or anything else as an indication of "end of life" approaching. You don't need a specific for that. The end of life is approaching and general condition will tell you this. Whether that means weeks, months or even years you cannot know. Your MD may be willing to order hospice tho on his "best guess" that with all that has occurs the end of life is "likely" within the next 6 months or so. If your Mom is still living then (or even "better") she can be reassessed for need at that time.
Do know that Hospice doesn't mean that a bedsore won't be treated. It will be, as the goal at end of life care is comfort and quality of life.
Best out to you.
A Stage 2 pressure sore leads me to think that she is not getting the proper care that she should be.
There is a particular pressure sore called a Kennedy Ulcer that some get and that is usually observed up 72 hours before death.
There are other indications that a person is "actively dying". Skin breakdown, breathing changes, skin discoloration, increased sleeping, sometimes a burst of energy, refusing food or fluids are a few.
Is she on Hospice? If not it might be a good idea to call a Hospice service and have them step in. She will remain where she is but there will be more eyes on her, more direct care for her. And the goal of Hospice is the same as yours ... mom's remaining time to be pain free and comfortable...
2 good ways to prevent pressure sores are:
Proper mattress that will relieve pressure.
Repositioning her at least every 2 hours.
And the fact that your mothers is now closed and healed is a very good sign, as often it can create issues if it doesn't heal up.
The only bedsore that is pretty much a death sentence, or a sign that death is imminent is what is called a Kennedy ulcer, and it's usually located on a persons tailbone, and can be quite large.
So for now just enjoy whatever time your mother has left, because at the age of 96 you know she doesn't have a lot lot of time left here on this earth.
Blessings to you and your mom.