Glenda (my SIL) said that the nurse at the nursing home said mom is looking better, but Glenda said that is not the case that mom looks horrible.
G. stood around waiting to talk to the nurse for about 10 minutes and was told mom was getting her hair done. They went around the corner to go to the hair salon and there mom sat in a wheelchair where she had been sitting for 45 minutes. Her right hand was swollen to twice the size (she had a mastectomy years ago and has to be careful of that arm)and was all purple. G. was so upset (but she never will say anything to anyone about it) and told them to just put mom back to bed. Apparantly her temp is still elevated somewhat but everything else is looking good. They will be doing another CBC tomorrow. I feel so sad for mom and wish that she could just go home to be with Jesus if she is going to have to live like this.

LaLa, is your MIL responsive at all? Can she tell you what's going on with her body? If her temp is still around and she's been on antibiotics for a week, then something ain't right girl. I'm certainly not trying to tell you what to do because you are THERE and know, I don't...but having experience with Daddy and pneumonia soooo many times, I will say it sounds suscipious...isn't there a resident doctor for the home? I would check with him and see what he says. Just my two cents worth you didn't ask for.

JJ

To anyone with older loved ones,
Lala and JJ's post reminds me. Pneumonia is a major cause of death among the elderly and there is an immunization against it.
We should all see that our elderly loved ones receive it. I am unsure if Medicare pays for immunizations and maybe that is why it is not widely administered. But even if Medicare doesn't pay, it is a small price to avoid such a threat to those we love.

Lala, it could be contraindicated if your MIL is in a critical stage of illness, but it might be worth checking into.
Just a thought.
smile

Mom is in the hospital. She was taken to emergency about an hour ago. Glenda went over to be with her. They will either send her to Sacramento Kaiser or Vallejo Kaiser after checking her out. Thanks for you prayers.
La

I will be praying too! Wishing for the best outcome!

Went to the hospital and sat with mom for a long time. When the paramedics came to take her to the hospital in Sacramento the emergency room nurse showed me the bruise on her lower abdomen. I was shocked. It was about nine inches long and about 3 inches wide and in a very straight line with the mid section of the bruise being the darkest. She also has a stage two bedsore on her backside, pnuemonia, the UTI aaaannd her blood sugar is over 400.
So, we will see how she improves from here. I am very concerned about that bruise. I remember the charge nurse talking to me about some bruising (but I thought she was talking about the bruising from some shots she had). But then she made a statement that puzzled me. She said "I was trying to figure out if someone had hurt her or something, but we have had our regular staff all week long". So, now after seeing the bruising I am wondering what may have transpired. Can that bruising happen from sitting in one place for a long time and having something binding that spot? I don't know! So....she is in the hospital and we'll see what happens next.
Thanks for your prayers.

Shoot! I lost my post somehow! Ding dang dong!

Here is what I can remember writing:
If mom hadn't been taken to emergency yesterday the doctor said she would have been dead by today. Pnuemonia, kidney failure, severe dehyration, yeast infection under her arms, UTI...good grief! Doctor's prognosis is very grim..very grim. We will wait a few days and see how she does. She was doing much better today. She was cognizant and alert and responsive physically. I was showing her my crochet work and she picked up a granny square and examined it. She also responded correctly when I told her she needed to straighten her arm because she was cutting off the flow from her IV. She looked at me for a second and straightened her arm. Of course, she forgot in a matter of minutes, but she still responded which is something she hasn't done in about 3 weeks!! It will be interesting to see if she starts speaking again. I sure hope so. I would like the kids to hear their grandma one more time before she goes home to be with the Lord.
I am really upset about the severe dehydration and the hesitation on the part of the nursing home to send her to emergency. Frustrating. Will probably be talking to the administrator sometime beginning of next week.
Lala

Lala,
There is no excuse for your MIL being in the shape she is in if someone had been doing their job. You can tell if someone is dehydrated by simply pinching their skin and seeing if it stays in the pinched position. She had to have been running temp with the other things wrong with her and the staff there should have been on top of that. I cannot tell you how angry it makes me to hear all of this. It's neglect. Period. My prayers are with you and your family.

JJ

lala, I'm praying for all of you.

Please focus on your MIL's health for now, and the issues surrounding the neglect later. Try not to waste your much needed energy on anger with the nursing home. For now, be sure she gets good care at the hospital.

I have attempted to post here from the point of view of the caregivers because sometimes it helps to have another point of view. Some of the situations you described could have been simply the results of aging. However, this last post sounds very much like neglect and that infuriates me, not only as a family member, but as a professional.

The dehydration, the bruise, and the pressure sores combined sound very much like neglect or even abuse. Older people bruise very easily. But, unless she is on high doses of blood thinners, or receiving abdominal injections there is no excuse for a large bruise on her abdomen.

Older people often do not drink enough fluids and must be reminded often to do so. Fluids should be encouraged every two hours. She also needs food to retain the fluids so she might need to be fed until she is stronger.

Pressure sores result simply from lying in one position too long. If she is dehydrated they develop more quickly. Her blood sugar appears to be out of control, and she has a fever. That combination makes it unlikely that she will reposition herself. Either way, it is the responsibility of the staff to see that she moves at least enough to avoid pressure sores either by encouraging her to move herself or by moving her.

Sounds like the Administrator and Nurse are being very nice to you, but sometimes facilities put all their effort into appearances and little into care.

I believe you said you moved her to this facility recently. Sometimes a move is very traumatic for older people and causes their condition to deterioriate for a while. However, the nursing home should be prepared to deal with that with special attention, etc.

Maybe you should look into the record of this facility. Most states have a Nursing Home regulatory agency and at least in our state, their findings are available online. You might do a search for it in your state and see if the home has a record of abuse or neglect.

I'll be praying for you and your Mother in Law.
smile