To God Be The Glory
These last few weeks have been rather difficult. The change in Rick has brought about an urgency to find a care facility for him. The girls are concerned about my health and ability to stand up under the stress of caring for him. And I believe they are not able to care for him if I should need to be away for my job.
So we went looking at assisted living and nursing facilities last Thursday. Neither situation was what I wanted but would consent to it if need be. I had spoken to Jean Small, the director of the Adult Day Care Center that Rick goes to daily and she suggested we check into the Palliative care options that Hospice has to offer. So I placed a call to Hospice. They needed a referral from Dr Pearce, who gave it readily. The social worker came out last Thursday and the nurse went to see Rick at the center on Friday. Monday I received a call saying that Rick has been accepted into the hospice palliative care program. Praise the Lord!
This is what I am getting through this:
The nurse will see Rick regularly. They will do much of the assessments so that I don't even need to take him to the doctor. She is coming Thursday morning early before I take him to the center for her first visit. I was telling her about his jerking and she asked if it was time to do a dilantin level. I told her I thought it was, so she is calling Dr. Pearce to get his ok for her to draw his blood for the level. That is wonderful. And I don't get a bill for it. They will provide his meds for him, too, at no cost to me.
They bill Rick's Medicare for their services. There is a special part of Medicare for hospice services. They won't provide any service for us that is not covered by Medicare, unless they tell me first and I decide that I want to pay for it out of my pocket.
We may see about putting him into the hospice hospital, Kate B Reynolds Hospice Home,while we go on vacation. They do offer respite for care givers. (Cheryl's family and I are going to Massenutten, VA for the first week in June.) I don't know exactly how that works, but I would like to find out. It will be valuable for when I have to go to TX for my work. Cheryl says she doesn't think she can handle Rick like he is now. And I am pretty sure that is the case. It is hard for daughters to help their father with his personal needs. This will allow me to get a good night's sleep for a week or so and then I will be refreshed and ready to get back to caring for him. Even this is covered by hospice Medicare.
I have access to CNA services to assist with personal care. This isn't someone to come and stay with him for several hours a day. Just to come in and give the bath, assist with dressing, or whatever is needed. This may be helpful in the future.
There is a social worker to help with emotional support and other challenges that might come up. He/she knows what agencies might be helpful for our needs.
There would be a chaplain available to provide spiritual support. I can request a chaplain from my denomination.
There is a volunteer who may provide companionship, respite for family members, assistance with transportation and errands, and other support as needed.
They have grief counselors for me and anyone else in the family that needs it.
And Hospice is the first to call in case of an emergency, instead of 911. The hospice people will already know Rick's condition and will be much better able to decide what needs to be done for him.
All these people who work with Rick will meet regularly, I think I was told weekly, to discuss Rick's situation and come up with a plan for his care.
The way I see it is that I will have a host of people in the know about Alzheimer's and community resources to help me make the best decisions for Rick's care. I already have a sense of relief, just knowing that I will have these resources.
I do hope I don't have to put him in a facility. I really want to keep him at home if at all possible.
The girls want me to come up with a plan as to what constitutes the time that I can't care for him anymore and need to put him in a nursing home. I am thinking about this and hope to come up with something soon. They have been a big help and support to me. I am so blessed.
Thank you all for your prayers and love and support. Again, I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family, immediate and extended, who love and care for me.
It is my desire that God will be glorified through this situation. The fact that Rick has been accepted into Hospice services is one more way that God is saying, “I’m taking care of you and Rick. Continue to trust Me.” PRAISE HIS NAME!
So we went looking at assisted living and nursing facilities last Thursday. Neither situation was what I wanted but would consent to it if need be. I had spoken to Jean Small, the director of the Adult Day Care Center that Rick goes to daily and she suggested we check into the Palliative care options that Hospice has to offer. So I placed a call to Hospice. They needed a referral from Dr Pearce, who gave it readily. The social worker came out last Thursday and the nurse went to see Rick at the center on Friday. Monday I received a call saying that Rick has been accepted into the hospice palliative care program. Praise the Lord!
This is what I am getting through this:
The nurse will see Rick regularly. They will do much of the assessments so that I don't even need to take him to the doctor. She is coming Thursday morning early before I take him to the center for her first visit. I was telling her about his jerking and she asked if it was time to do a dilantin level. I told her I thought it was, so she is calling Dr. Pearce to get his ok for her to draw his blood for the level. That is wonderful. And I don't get a bill for it. They will provide his meds for him, too, at no cost to me.
They bill Rick's Medicare for their services. There is a special part of Medicare for hospice services. They won't provide any service for us that is not covered by Medicare, unless they tell me first and I decide that I want to pay for it out of my pocket.
We may see about putting him into the hospice hospital, Kate B Reynolds Hospice Home,while we go on vacation. They do offer respite for care givers. (Cheryl's family and I are going to Massenutten, VA for the first week in June.) I don't know exactly how that works, but I would like to find out. It will be valuable for when I have to go to TX for my work. Cheryl says she doesn't think she can handle Rick like he is now. And I am pretty sure that is the case. It is hard for daughters to help their father with his personal needs. This will allow me to get a good night's sleep for a week or so and then I will be refreshed and ready to get back to caring for him. Even this is covered by hospice Medicare.
I have access to CNA services to assist with personal care. This isn't someone to come and stay with him for several hours a day. Just to come in and give the bath, assist with dressing, or whatever is needed. This may be helpful in the future.
There is a social worker to help with emotional support and other challenges that might come up. He/she knows what agencies might be helpful for our needs.
There would be a chaplain available to provide spiritual support. I can request a chaplain from my denomination.
There is a volunteer who may provide companionship, respite for family members, assistance with transportation and errands, and other support as needed.
They have grief counselors for me and anyone else in the family that needs it.
And Hospice is the first to call in case of an emergency, instead of 911. The hospice people will already know Rick's condition and will be much better able to decide what needs to be done for him.
All these people who work with Rick will meet regularly, I think I was told weekly, to discuss Rick's situation and come up with a plan for his care.
The way I see it is that I will have a host of people in the know about Alzheimer's and community resources to help me make the best decisions for Rick's care. I already have a sense of relief, just knowing that I will have these resources.
I do hope I don't have to put him in a facility. I really want to keep him at home if at all possible.
The girls want me to come up with a plan as to what constitutes the time that I can't care for him anymore and need to put him in a nursing home. I am thinking about this and hope to come up with something soon. They have been a big help and support to me. I am so blessed.
Thank you all for your prayers and love and support. Again, I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family, immediate and extended, who love and care for me.
It is my desire that God will be glorified through this situation. The fact that Rick has been accepted into Hospice services is one more way that God is saying, “I’m taking care of you and Rick. Continue to trust Me.” PRAISE HIS NAME!
posted by Unknown at 8:42:00 AM
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