Not able to be with mother with dementia in hospital due to Covid

[InSchool4eva20]

My mother was recently admitted for a GI virus, acute dehydration and afib out of control. She has dementia but was able to answer questions so my father and I were told to wait outside and they took her for a week. The ED nurse called to give me updates, but once she was admitted it was a different story. I am her DPOA for everything has anyone experienced this? It is really disheartening!

[Leader25, ASN, BSN, RN]

We are in a struggle to keep our debilitated mother at home,we do not want her in a hospital all alone,she can not keep meals down,so we feed teaspoon by teaspoon,needs oral suctioning,incontinence care,has been declining for almost two months,we have some help but 75%it is solo and wing it.My heart goes out to everyone in this type of situation,but believe me if I someone told me I could not see my family in a nursing home type facility,I would transfer them out.Even if I have to by my own PPE with foot covers and all,you are not going to stop me.

[Leader25, ASN, BSN, RN]

19 hours ago, Kitiger said:

OK, please tell me, what is HE, AMS, and WE?

I feel like I'm reading in a different language.

Agree 100%

On 6/7/2020 at 6:29 PM, Wuzzie said:

My parents were moved by strangers (we weren’t allowed to do it) into an assisted living facility on April 10th and the first time I got to see them was last Thursday in the parking lot of the building to sign some important papers. It was suggested that they should be forced to quarantine in their apartment now for 2 weeks because they went outside. My 80 year old mother had to set her new apartment up by herself and has been stuck in the building with no break from my 83 year old demented father because they aren’t allowed to leave and we’re not allowed in. We’ve been told that they might not be allowed visitors until there is a vaccine available which reasonably won’t be available for about 4 years. We are now trying to figure out what to do because the situation has become untenable. I get it. The risk is high but the whole point of moving them was to give them a better quality of life and they are absolutely miserable. What’s worse is they are emotionally and physically regressing. This has got to end.

Heart breaking

[amoLucia]

(((Wuzzie)))

[InSchool4eva20, MSN, RN]

I agree 100%. I would bet nursing homes will see a downturn in admissions. No way would I put my loved one in a nursing home if they were cut off. I think we will see the ramifications of this later. I'm keeping my parents at home and managing their care myself, but I'm looking into home health and other ways to care for them. My goal is to keep my mother out of the hospital if I can, it was a nightmare and at no fault of the health care professionals, they were awesome, but we definitely lacked communication about her care.

Now I'm trying to get my father in law in for cognitive testing and most of the places are closed due to the virus and I was told to take him to the ED. I'm suspecting Alzheimer's. It is very frustrating and disheartening. I feel if as a nurse I'm having trouble with my family and healthcare systems, what are people who have no medical knowledge surviving?