Mom is 99 1/2.
We moved her to a new independent living apartment facility from her old one after a fall and brief hospitalization and rehab.
Her old facility had a group of on-call on premises personal caregivers who helped her with her med reminders, supplemental oxygen, and emptied and changed her ostomy bag.
No caregiver we can find at the new facility will do the oxygen or ostomy care.
I'm a bit surprised. Any suggestions?
I too think Mom needs to be in an AL. They have at least one RN on duty.
Your description of the 'old facility' sounds as if there were caregivers who reminded her to take her meds (unskilled), empty ostomy (unskilled), help with supplemental oxygen (may be unskilled if pt just needs simple help to turn on the concentrator - but not if pt does not know when to put on oxygen, cannot state flow rate, can't clean device, etc.), and change ostomy appliance (similar to oxygen criteria.)
However, if her prior independent living did not allow her to return to their care, the reasons likely have to do with changes in her functional level.
A fall, a trip to hospital, and to rehab can leave a 99 1/2 y.o. with cognitive slowness, general weakness, and a need to rest and return (if possible) to previous level of independence.
Oxygen and ostomy are often considered "skilled nursing" tasks. At the very least, see if her MD can order skilled home health care for safety at home after a fall, and whatever else is reasonable considering her discharge diagnoses.
I'm surprise the rehab center didn't arrange this in advance.
RN and PT can treat and assess her, and see if she can manage O2 and ostomy on her own, or guide staff within the limits set by the facility of how much their staff can do.
the definition of independent living would be that the resident does not need help with daily or personal tasks. I would think this would be a liability issue as well as possibly the thoughts of…”why am I paying for assisted living when Mrs Smith in Independent living gets help and does not have to pay for the assistance”
I'm curious that O2 and Ostomy are such bugaboos. They are very easy to help her with, imho. Seems like something a CNA should be allowed to do.
Yes - we talked all about her needs before we chose to move her, and we thought we were good except for ostomy bag change.
Anyway, I just wondered if there were home care givers who could manage a portable concentrator, and emptying and replacing the bag.
Even with talking with elder-care resources all around, the instruction manuals are hard to come by :)
Jim
My suggestion is you move your mother into Assisted Living right away, but not before you find out if THEY are equipped/willing to help her with such things as emptying an ostomy bag. You may have to place her in Skilled Nursing for such care. The AL my dad lived in would not help him with catheter care; I had to take him back & forth to the ER each & every time an issue arose with his catheter. All they would do at the AL was empty the urine out of it, nothing more.
Good luck!
Did you make the IL aware that Mom needed some help? Usually an aide is not certified to do oxygen or ostomy.