Moving mother out of nursing home to hospice?

[ChristinaC71503]

Hello.

Someone not high enough in the pecking order gave me some information that should have been supplied to me as her health care proxy weeks ago. Out-of-state investors bought where my mother has lived for the last 3 1/2 years. They have a bad rep, and the assurances in the news that the State would allow the buy but force them to pay for extra monitoring, unclear by whom. Despite being vaccinated and my writing and calling about the antibody treatment, which I am unclear was ever given, four weeks later I am learning she is not doing well, and from her experience with other COVID patients in her age range, her outcome is unlikely to be good. I visit weekly, and I noted a cough that resolved a couple weeks ago, and last week, she slept through my whole visit. Plus, as an ongoing issue, she has been in pain from a different condition. He latest roommate blasts the TV all day, which not only denies my mother access to the online streams she is paying for, but is clearly making her more confused with the incessant cacaphony.

Since she still has most of her stimulus money left I would like to have her have a good death. She has Medicare and Medicaid. I would like her moved to a hospice and if she must pay for her transit and it is under $4K, than I would say go for it. There would be nothing else she could pay for once that happened but since the choice is leaving for SSA and Medicaid and the nursing home to fight over it, I say leave them nothing.

Has anyone successfully moved their parent out of a Medicaid nursing home into anothef facility for hospice, and what sorts of uncovered costs did it involve? I am her FPOA as well.

Thanks!

Christina

[JeanRossRN · Accepted solution]

Inpatient hospice is often tough to qualify. First, your mother would need to qualify for hospice. Second, the hospice company has to show her symptoms and pain can no longer be managed and controlled in the current living situation - not so much that she is receiving bad care in her current living situation. Each area is different in how they do inpatient hospice - some places  have designated hospice homes and other place folks in a nursing home. I believe you would be served well to interview a handful of hospice companies (if not already on hospice) and ask them where their patients reside while on hospice and if they feel that place of care is better for your mom. Hospice often have a social worker who can assist with a transition. 

[ChristinaC71503]

Updates on Tuesday: referred to hospice, a nurse from Bayada to contact me today. She will be treated in the nursing home.

My mother clearly stated she "cannot take it anymore." Because of my short stay and the number of people around, I am unclear if she is ready to die or would chose to live if her pain could be controlled. It was so sad that she could take her weak pain pills (ibuprofen, Tylenol, Tramadol) crushed into pudding and spoonfed. I had to leave, but the nurse was having great difficulty trying to get the pills into a format she could swallow. I do not understand, other than needing an order and awaiting its arrival, why a stronger opioid as liquid or patch or injection or melting in the mouth was not being used.

Start comort measures

D/C PT 

referral to Bayada