How do we advocate for my husband's 52-year-old stepson who is in rehab facility?
My husband's stepson from his late wife is 52 years old and, dare I say, a hermit in his apartment. He is morbidly obese to the point where he was not able to get out of bed for 48 hours, the Fire Department had to come to get him off the bathroom floor once he finally got up. Taken to the hospital to see if he had injured himself in the fall wound up with diagnosis of a blood clot in his leg and other findings. He spent 3 weeks in the hospital, IN BED, and is now in a "Rehab facility" for the past 5 days. They have not gotten him out of bed yet nor has a Physical Therapist or anyone from that department come to assess him.
He is also a hoarder and this scenario happened a couple years ago too. His apartment was declared "condemned" and not livable after the Fire Dept. Chief came on the scene. He spent months under Social Worker supervision to make it "livable" with the help of a service worker from the apartment complex he lives at.
Now this has happened again after years of us - as well as other family members and friends - trying to get him help for the obesity. He has cut himself off from family and friends. Now that he is on blood thinners, his situation is even more precarious if he falls. We don't see a way that he could ever return to living alone as he lives in a second story apartment.
The conundrum is this: we want to advocate for him so that he gets the PT he needs and at least a fighting chance to continue some sort of life for himself. My husband did not adopt him so he is legally not a family member. We are going to suggest he have someone there get his HC-POA done so that we have our foot in the door to help. He is also on Medicaid.
Any advice from someone with a similar situation would be so appreciated!
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I know a young man in a NH. He has some Mental challenges but can make decisions in his care. Long story why he is there but went in weighing over 400lbs. He lost about 100 his first year so he was able to use a walker at that point. He just had the sleeve done. I explained to him that its a tool not a cure. Not sure where his is weight wise but his picture on messenger shows a thin face. I have never seen him with a thin face. They are now talking about him going to a group home.
Maybe this is what your husbands stepson needs. Time in a NH where his intake is watched. One reason they wanted to get Hs weight down was because of diabetes.
There is really nothing you can do for this man of 50. He must have underlining problems to allow himself to get this obese. He is the only one who can make the decision to better himself.
I have to say, this sounds to me like a bit of hiding to nothing. The only thing that stands between stepson and the assistance he needs is his unwillingness to accept it, and no advocacy on your part is going to change that.
How obese is he? I ask because I've learned you can't make assumptions about what someone can do based on his weight, shape and apparent immobility - I've helped a 392lb man with Parkinson's Disease to shower. If PT aren't trying to get him moving my first guess is it's because he's saying no.