kar212

Thank you so much!!

My dad is her caregiver.

Oh, I get that. I just figured someone here has seen or heard or experienced something like this. You also have a parent with dementia?

Hi! I hope it's okay to post this. ER and psych nurses may have some good input. My poor mom, age 77 with dementia is having visual and sensory hallucinations. I live on the opposite side of the country, so I'm getting this information from family. I'm a nurse, but not sure what the best course of action should be. Background: My mom has vascular dementia. Her mobility has been quite poor the last couple of years. At baseline, she uses the walker and needs help to and from the toilet. She had a hip replacement in mid April and then 2 weeks in rehab. The goal was to help her pain, not necessarily improve her mobility. A couple days after coming home, she suddenly got very weak and more confused. Turns out, she had a UTI. She was treated with the right oral antibiotics. Urine was retested Saturday and the infection is clear. After a few days on antibiotics, her mobility improved greatly. However, she started seeing little threads moving on her legs. That didn't seem terribly upsetting to her, but it progressed to her feeling like her legs were going up to the ceiling and at times feels that her whole body is going up to the ceiling. She goes into a panic when this happens. This has been happening a couple times a day. I know she needs to see a psychiatrist. Should she go to ER to get a psych evaluation? Or make an appointment and hope my poor dad can handle it until then? He is having a very difficult time. My dad is contacting the doctor's office today.

I'm an RN and have worked in med surg for almost 21 years, although most of that time it was per diem and not a lot of hours. I have kids at home that do remote learning that still need me and I have been pondering for years now trying to find something else, something very flexible and if possible, less stressful. The only population I don't want to work with is peds. I've thought of hospice, home health, assisted living, ambulatory/office care, correctional, but these areas are new to me. Thoughts, anyone?

Perfect analogy!!! I do feel I've been on a hamster wheel for a very long time!

Hello! I have been a nurse for quite a while, over 19 years. My first couple years were in long term care and the rest in med surg. I only work about three 12 hour shifts a month (nights). I've had that schedule for the last decade in order to be with my kids. The job is complete and utter chaos and has been for a long time. I am thinking it's time to find something new, but I'm not sure what. I'd like to get out of acute care and not work nights. Due to my kids and my husband's work schedule, it would need to be very flexible and not many hours (like no more than 8 to 12 hours a week). I was thinking per diem home health or hospice? I would do an office job, but I doubt there is a per diem option usually available. In a few years, I should be able to do part or full time, but for now, I need lots of flexibility. If you have worked in home health or hospice, please share with me what you think of it. I've been doing the same thing for so long, it's hard to fathom doing something different, but I think it's about time. Thanks!