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I am caring for my mother Vivian, living in my home with age-related decline, anxiety, cancer, depression, hearing loss, incontinence, mobility problems, and urinary tract infection.

About Me
70 year old female
Caring for 90+ female parent who until recently was able to walk assisted by a walker and able to perform daily hygiene tasks
I am no longer able to care for her. I have several health conditions along with back issues.

My mother was 92 when she was hospitalized for pneumonia. Rehab did not get her walking again, just helped her learn how to wheel herself around in a wheelchair. She moved from regular AL into Memory Care Assisted Living after rehab bc her dementia had worsened significantly too.

Your issue isn't rehab.....its getting mom placed in a Skilled Nursing facility due to you no longer being able to care for her, understandably. Were you wanting to get her into a SNF for rehab and to then segue into their long term care section?

Speak with an elder care attorney about the Medicaid process in your state and how to go about getting mom placed in the quickest and easiest fashion.

Best of luck to you.
Helpful Answer (17)
Reply to lealonnie1
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Your doctor will only order this if there is some chance that PT can get your mother out of bed and walking again. If, at 93 there is sufficient injury to the lungs, and now muscles and bone have deteriorated, there is almost no chance that your mother will be able to walk. This has been assessed already by hospital PT/OT personnel.

I believe that a doctor will at this point have already attempted to discuss Hospice care with you. I believe that your mother is now facing a need for comfort care and end of life care. I am so very sorry. Please ask your doctor for open discussion and honest discussion with you regarding placement and Hospice for your mom. The offer should be made to her, and if she is no longer able to act on her behalf you will have to make the best decision for her for a peaceful end to a long life. You will do what you believe best for her, and right for her, recognizing that for you the loss is certain, inevitable, and full of grief. Keep your mom as pain free as you are able.
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Reply to AlvaDeer
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The odds of your mother learning to walk again is slim to none. My late husband after almost dying from aspiration pneumonia and being in the hospital for over 2 weeks, came home completely bedridden, and he too was walking with his hemi-walker though very slowly before this all happened.
He however came home under hospice care and I was able to care for him(with an aide coming every morning that I hired)until he died 22 months later.
It sounds like you are in no condition to care for your mother with your own health issues, so perhaps it's time to look into having her placed in a skilled nursing facility, and by all means get hospice on board as well, as you will have extra sets of eyes on your mother and they will report anything amiss.
Wishing you and your mother well.
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Reply to funkygrandma59
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Ideally your mom should have gone to rehab when she was released from the hospital. There is a number of days she would still be eligible after discharge if she had met the requirements.

Call her primary and see what can be done. If it is too late to go to rehab as inpatient, perhaps you could get therapy for her in your home.

You could also look at her discharge paperwork and see if there is a contact number for a hospital discharge planner who could help you.
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Reply to 97yroldmom
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the hospital should of set up for you before being discharged.
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Reply to lovelyliz
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Call her doctor about ordering in home physical therapy. My dad did multiple rounds of PT, both in rehab inpatient and in his home with the PT coming to him. Each time he was left with a lower level of function than he’d had a few months before. The leg weakness and struggling walk are endlessly frustrating but a very persistent issue for many of the very old. His doctor finally recommended hospice after a failed inpatient rehab where he’d made no progress. Dad chose it himself and was very at peace about his decision. I hope your mother can recover, but also please be aware that skills may not return despite therapy. Be prepared to add hospice help if this proves to be true. I wish you both peace
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Reply to Daughterof1930
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Anxietynacy May 14, 2024
That's good advice!
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If you can no longer care for her walking might be the least of your problems.
Rehab is probably not going to accomplish much.
If she has any dementia (you do not indicate this in your profile) she probably will not be able to participate in rehab.
You could ask the doctor to prescribe In Home PT and see if that helps but YOU are also going to have to work with her on the PT. If you can not do that safely the In Home PT might not do much.
At this point she may need Skilled Nursing facility.
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Reply to Grandma1954
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Gms575: Perhaps the real issue at hand isn't rehabilitation, but getting your mother placed in a managed care facility since you unfortunately are struggling with your own health. You state in your profile "I am no longer able to take care of her."
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Reply to Llamalover47
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This may be the time for some gentle discussions with your Mother. Does she want to walk again? Or is she worn out now?
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Reply to Beatty
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If she walks again , when she goes home her walking most likely will decline again without PT .
You are facing the inevitable which is to place your mother in a skilled facility .
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Reply to waytomisery
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