Need advice on elderly care

[NVworker]

Hi all

Last week, my 82 year old grandmother was asked to leave her home of 19 years. She had no warning what so ever. My mother had just left my home in NV and was in LA to fly out the next day to HI where she lives.

Long story short...My mother drove from LA to El Paso TX, picked up my grandma and brought her here to live with me. Does anyone know what government agency, state agency, private agency I would call to get her some help? I am back to work full time and she is disabled. She is unable to get into my bath tub to take a shower, even with a handicapped chair (sponge baths for now!). That is the biggest issue right now as she showers "every night at 8pm" LOL, bless her heart, that's what she tells me every night.

If I didn't have my shoulder injury I could lift her onto the chair myself, I don't see that happening for a very long time. I already ordered Life Alert for her, she has had a few falls this past year and I worry she may fall while I'm at work. I come home every day on my lunch to feed her and check on her but feel so bad because she is alone all day.

If anyone has ANY suggestions or advice, I would really appreciate the input. All I know at this point is she gets enough social security to cover her meds and supplemental ins. she also gets medicare.

Thanks for listening and I hope you all are doing well!

[bodybuilder1958]

Hi NV,

Call adult social services in your area, schedule an appointment for a full assessment. Social services will be able to track what services your grandmother requires. Adult day care is also a suggestion. Check into power of attorney, adult legal services, respite care.

BB

[inpainokla]

if she has insurance call a home health agency...i think its great your taking care of her as my grandmother had a stroke a few years ago and had to stay with me for almost a year and i loved having her around..we ended up getting her into an apartment less than a mile from my home as she would much rather be on her own and theres a heath agency thats there with her most of the day and some nights and i check on her everyday..her insurance covers most if not all of what the health agency charges..so maybe u can check into that

[Bad Boy Bad Boy]

May I ask, is your mother living there also? If so, how can she help you?

[NVworker]

Thank you all soooo much for the info. I really appreciate it.

BBBB ... My mom lives in Hawaii. She would take my grandma but she's in a very small town with limited access to the specialists my grandma needs to see.

Newest struggle is getting her an ID card here. She's gone by one name her entire life but it is not the name on her birth certificate!!! Ugghhh. They said we need to do a legal name change. How in the world did she get social security and I'D in Texas? LOL, I told her we were going to call here "no name" good thing she still has her sense of humor.

Thanks again

[red1030]

NV... Body Builder gave you some excellent advice. I would like to ask you a few more questions and then I can give you some more assistance....my background was a Director of Nursing in Long Term Care...

1. Is your grandmother still able to make decisions for herself?
2. What other heath issues does she have such as dementia, cognitive deficits, heart lungs etc. What about continence and how her kidney and bladder function?
3. Bowels habits are very important at this time in a person life, so talk to her about them and what she does to stay regulated?
4. Does she have any special needs for feeding herself or for eating?
5. You said she has fallen, how far can she walk safely or at all, and why is she falling? Is it in the morning or after a meal, during a walking period, or is her balance poor and her legs weak?
6. What medications is she on?

That was such a few questions that you will want to identify to prevent problems that will catch you and her unware if you do not understand the answers to them.

First, Body Builder gave you some excellent advice.
1. Call adult social services in your area. Thier primary role is to assure elderly safety. They can provide you with resources in your area to assure she is safe. They may recommend day care or a few things such as that. They can most likely help you obtain power of attonery over your grand mothers finances and her health care... if your grandmother gives her conscent. If she does not, then you will have to go to court and have your grand mother deemed incompentent by a judge.
2. Identify what kind of insurance that your grandmother has. Call your local social security office, they can point you in the right direction if your grandmother is unable to tell you. Most likely she has Medicare A (Social Security inpatient insurance), but assure that she has Medicare B also. She may also have a co insurance that assist with her medications. I would not move towards Medicare D, but if there is no insurance, talk to a pharmacist they will point your in the right direction so that your grandmother will get the best care.
3. As soon as possible obtain a doctor for her so that she can be thoroughly assessed. If she has Medicare B she will have to pay a small co pay but if she has a secondary insurance as I suggested above for medications etc, then she may not have any co pays. Once you find out what insurance she has, a doctors office will be able to explain the finacial issues to you based on what insurance she does have.
4. If she has Medicare B, when she sees the doctor make sure he is aware of all of her needs such as safety issues related to falling, inability to get into your shower to bath, etc. He can write the orders for a PT / OT evaluation in the home, and for community health nursing ... this is paid by Medicare B in most cases. Once the orders are written usually a clinic or doctors office will find an agency for you and then usually the nurse comes out first and makes a recommendation for PT/OT/Speech to come to the house to see your grandmother. Once they come, they will do a home evaluation and make appropriate recommendations to your doctor or your grandmothers doctor who then will write the orders such has hand rails around the tub, a bench that she can sit on on the outside and then you just put her legs on the bench and the motor rotates her and lowers her to the tub to take a bath. They will alway make safety recommendations such as what she can and can't do in the kitchen, or obtain day time meal services etc. Also they will evaluate her strength, coordination, balance and just based on what you have said, possibly recommend a rolling walker for ambulation/ walking. They will look at what she does to entertain herself while you are gone and make suggestions about that. If she is having trouble feeding her self, they will make recommendations for adaptative equipment for feeding.
5. Then is may be possible to obtain a aide to come in a few hours aday to bath her, assist her with meals and so forth...

This is just the beginning. It is a learning curve but one I am confident you will manage. Good luck. If you have any other questions, feel free to pm me or ask me her on the board and I will get to them as soon as possible. IF you need me to look something up about your state and its regulations, or possible resources I would be happy to do that also... Red

[NVworker]

Thanks Red, I sent a PM as it was a bit lengthy

[red1030]

Got it and sent one back... good luck...let me know if there is anything else I can do to help you. Red