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about my dad.


jsharr

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I have an elderly FIL and elderly parents (90, 90  and 93 respectively).  I have learned, in the last 2 years that every thing and anything can cause the loss of strength in the legs - bladder infection, heart meds, heart meds, heart meds, certainly inactivity, other meds, any other circulation issues - did I mention heart meds.  I have learned a lot about the uses of and reasons for compression socks.

 

Prayers are with you and your father Jsharr.

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So, tests came back and the renal artery blockage is not likely the cause of the high blood pressure or the loss of leg strength.  Most likely going to be tied to an infection.  They have removed his bed rest restriction and have added two BP meds to his regime to try and get blood pressure down.

 

Short term will be in hospital at least one more day, and then will go to some sort of rehab for a few days to see if strenght comes back.

 

Long term, I see some hard decisions in store for mom.  She is no longer able to keep up with dad's health issues and they will most likely have to sell the place on the lake and move into a larger city into an assisted living type setting.  They have the means to do this, but not the mindset.  My parents are both self made and very puritanical and prideful.  I can see my brother and I having to get involved pretty soon.

 

Thanks for all the thoughts, prayers, vibes and well wishes.

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JSharr,  The short term news sounds pretty good. When my grandma had to go from the ICU to a rehab facility she never got cleared to return home and we had to make some serious arrangements all of a sudden. We thought that when we moved her in with my uncle that we had taken care of everything, but we didn't figure that a day was going to come where you needed to have actual medical training to look after her.

 

I hope your dad can come back home and you all can have some time to work through everything.

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So, tests came back and the renal artery blockage is not likely the cause of the high blood pressure or the loss of leg strength.  Most likely going to be tied to an infection.  They have removed his bed rest restriction and have added two BP meds to his regime to try and get blood pressure down.

 

Short term will be in hospital at least one more day, and then will go to some sort of rehab for a few days to see if strenght comes back.

 

Long term, I see some hard decisions in store for mom.  She is no longer able to keep up with dad's health issues and they will most likely have to sell the place on the lake and move into a larger city into an assisted living type setting.  They have the means to do this, but not the mindset.  My parents are both self made and very puritanical and prideful.  I can see my brother and I having to get involved pretty soon.

 

Thanks for all the thoughts, prayers, vibes and well wishes.

 

We've living this with my FIL right now.  He went to a rehab facility with no intention of him ever returning to his home.  Current situation is that he wants out and wants to go home.  That can't happen.  When he left for the hospital a couple weeks ago he no idea he would need see the place again.  Like your parents - independent and proud.

 

Prayers for your father's health and living arrangements.

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So, tests came back and the renal artery blockage is not likely the cause of the high blood pressure or the loss of leg strength.  Most likely going to be tied to an infection.  They have removed his bed rest restriction and have added two BP meds to his regime to try and get blood pressure down.
 
Short term will be in hospital at least one more day, and then will go to some sort of rehab for a few days to see if strenght comes back.
 
Long term, I see some hard decisions in store for mom.  She is no longer able to keep up with dad's health issues and they will most likely have to sell the place on the lake and move into a larger city into an assisted living type setting.  They have the means to do this, but not the mindset.  My parents are both self made and very puritanical and prideful.  I can see my brother and I having to get involved pretty soon.
 
Thanks for all the thoughts, prayers, vibes and well wishes.


We are going the hospice route when Pop comes home from rehab in a few weeks. Hospice is no longer just end of life care and can be utilized for years if needed. If your dad is a vet the VA also provides elder support. we can't get 24 hour hospice though because mother is still quite active and healthy, so we are also hiring a nurse as well. Also my brother and I both live on the estate and our sister is close by. Hospice is covered by Medicade and will provide such things as a hospital bed and wheelchairs.

If y'all haven't already, you and your brother should look into having your folks' powers of attorney. One bathroom in their home should be converted to handicap standards, roll-in shower if possible, lots of grab bars and the like if they don't move. <--you may want to consider this for your own home now even. A lift lazy boy is a godsend.

PM me if I may be of any help.
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what Allen is saying there is not a bad idea. When we moved grandma in with my uncle, my cousin (his son) remodeled grandma's bathroom there like a handicapped bathroom just like Allen described

The house would need a lot of work to make it friendly for them.  Raised pier and beam, so steps up to the house at every entrance.  Grab bars and such would not be hard to fit.  Mom's big concern is keeping an acre of yard maintained by herself.  They are in a small lakeside community on a lake that is drought stricken, so property values are down.  

 

Selling and moving into town is the best bet really, but they would take a hit on resale value.  House is paid for.

 

We need to sit down with mom and look at all their finances, figure out cost of moving into an assisted living cottage.  She is hung up on the concept of renting vs owning.

 

Dad served in the US Army Reserve in the late 50s or early 60s so not sure what if any military benefits he has.

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Oh, go to the tag office and pick up the paperwork for a hanging handicap tag. Then take it to your doctor for their signature, and back to the tag office. You can move the hanging tags from car to car.

They have had one of those for quite a while now.  Dad's legs have been giving him trouble for over two years now.  Just getting to be really bad now.  

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Don't know if you have any senior housing cooperatives there but it is an alternative to owning (and being responsible for maintenance) or renting. You purchase a membership in the cooperative not actual property...Ours is structured so that we maintain a mortgage balance...residents make a down payment and then make a monthly payment that covers a mortgage, utilities, "association fees" ,taxes and such...A cooperative set up like ours is allows someone to sell the house they have lived in and not put all of the money back into property, but have it available for emergencies or travel or whatever.  Just a thought.

 

Also there are facilities that are transitional.  You can start out at independent living and transition to more care(sometimes in the same unit) eventually moving to full nursing home care, but often on the same property...something else to think about.  

 

Senior housing...it is my job.

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Glad to see so much good advice here.  I don't think I'd know where to turn locally at this point if this was happening to me --I'd have to ask all of you.

 

Jsharr, my prayers go to you and your family.  I'm glad your Dad is better than he was, and I hope that things continue to improve and that everything can be sorted out for your parents.

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Todays update:  Uroligist came in and catheterized dad yesterday and amazingly, that brought about some very good results.....  I will leave it at that, but BP came down and they planned to release Dad today and send him and mom to a physical therapist to start working on some leg strengthening exercises.

 

I am more than a bit skeptical about his plan of action.  I may well be driving down there on Saturday AM to check on them, make sure they have everything they need.  Spoke to mom about bars for bathroom, etc and she says they have that covered.   Need to get Dad a better chair, lift assist or some such.  For the time being, mom wants to dry and make his recliner rocker no longer a recliner rocker.

 

Will keep ya'll updated.  

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Good to hear.


Todays update: Uroligist came in and catheterized dad yesterday and amazingly, that brought about some very good results..... I will leave it at that, but BP came down and they planned to release Dad today and send him and mom to a physical therapist to start working on some leg strengthening exercises.

I am more than a bit skeptical about his plan of action. I may well be driving down there on Saturday AM to check on them, make sure they have everything they need. Spoke to mom about bars for bathroom, etc and she says they have that covered. Need to get Dad a better chair, lift assist or some such. For the time being, mom wants to dry and make his recliner rocker no longer a recliner rocker.

Will keep ya'll updated.

Medicare/cade covers the lift part of the chair, you have to pay for the frame and upholstery. It is a grand well spent. The suction cup grab bars are not worth spit, FYI.
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