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We've done that! You can bring pets to my grandma's nursing home on certain days (sm)

Posted By: Deb on 2008-01-05
In Reply to: Dogs CAN Communicate..... - awwgeez

You have to go through a little evaluation with your animal, but they have cat days and dog days and you can bring your pets.  Walter is a huge patient sweetie - 120 pounds of shiny black fur and muscle - he is quite young and very solid and built.  Some of the residents love him so much.  He will just slowly walk up to someone he feels might be receptive to him, and when they put their hand out he gets under it and next thing you know he has his big head in their lab and they are slowly petting him, over and over and over.  It is so heartwarming when you are watching.... I mean literally your heart is so full you can feel it in your throat.  I've had to hide my tears every time. 


Sometimes a resident, usually a gentleman, will talk about a dog he used to have with the clearest memory. 


A funny thing happened when Walter was getting some attention from a women in a wheelchair and he leaned against her and I saw her wheelchair was slowly being pushed across the lawn. 




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I had to place my mom in a nursing home

temporarily when she broke her hip the first time. It was very hard. (I had made a promise to her that I would never put her in one when she got older.) I visited her every day and every day she begged to come home. She didn't realize that it was only temporary. She was in a good home with great PT and activities but she wouldn't join in on any of the activities. In fact, she was almost afraid to walk at all. I would go during her PT and encourage her to keep up because the sooner she could walk with little assistance, the sooner she could come home. The PT team was great, too, always encouraging her, and she did her best.


I found out that they had a hairdresser that came in every week and I paid to get her a haircut and style. After that, she kind of settled in a little bit, but still begged to come home.


Thank heavens, she was only there 2 months. I don't think I could have stood it much longer. Then when it was time to come home, she wanted to bring the furniture with her. LOL They had cherry dressers and headboards. It was almost like a regular bedroom.


Mom's boyfriend was also in a nursing home after suffering a stroke a year after mom died and I went to visit him every day. They were not as good as the one mom was in. They would wheel him into the hall and he sat there for hours. No one came to see if he needed anything. The room was awful, so small and cheap furniture with old iron hospital beds. Reminded me of a regular hospital. Talked to his son and that's all the insurance company would cover for him so he was stuck.


As the other poster said, research the homes as much as possible. Go when the activities and/or PT is taking place and just watch. Talk to the people that live there if possible. Talk to activity director, DON, etc. before deciding. Check the rooms. Watch to see if the CNA's or nurses check on the patients to see if anything is needed. Check to see what happens after private insurance runs out; i.e., where the patients go after that. Mom would have been transferred to the first (MediCare)  floor, but she came home before that.


 


 


nursing home decision
I am living this as we speak. My father died in March of 2007. My mother became bedridden in June 2007. I had hospice come in to assist, Home Health and Hospice to be exact, and they are wonderful. They actually have their own private nursing home-type facility in the next town over. With hospice, on an occasional basis and when a bed is available, they offer the caregiver a 5-day respite at their facility. After momma went for the first time she was offered a bed there and I immediately accepted. The facility is very small and only for the 3HC clientele, with only 12 private rooms divided into 2 sides - one side with 6 beds for the terminal clients and one side with 6 beds for "residential" clients. Momma was able to stay on the residential side for 7 months; however, her condition was "stable" and Medicare would no longer pay the fee. Momma came home after that and I have again been her primary caregiver since January of this year. She is contractured, bedridden, and rarely speaks or opens her eyes. I do have a sitter that works during the daytime hours M-F so that I can actually work, run errands when I need to, and get the kids to and from school because otherwise I cannot leave the house at all because momma cannot be left alone.

I feel blessed to have found this line of work not quite 6 years ago. I have a 4-1/2 year old and a 6 year old and momma to care for so working from home has been a lifesaver.

I, too, made the promise to momma that I would not "put" her in a nursing home and I will stand by that. It's all there is left that I can do for her. Not to mention, the fact that she owns a home and has income from my late father's investments, it would cost upwards of $6,000 per month to have her placed in one, and even though the estate could pay for that, I think it's ridiculous for the type of "care" most of the public places provide.

It's a tough decision to make - even tougher if there aren't funds available like there are in our case (thanks to my great daddy) to pay for the sitter to come in and assist. But when the sitter isn't here, the kids and I must be. For the most part they understand, but sometimes they really just want to go somewhere or to the park or to McDonalds and we just can't do it. It's a huge personal sacrifice for your entire family to make to keep a parent at home. The decision isn't always just personal, though. It can be financial, too.

You will make the right decision for whatever your situation is. Whatever you decide to do, just know that your parent respects you enough to make that decision for them and that they love you.

Best of luck to you honey... hugzzzzz
A local nursing home might appreciate a visit.
xx
nursing home - hardest decision ever sm
I had also made those promises to my folks, Dad was kept home on hospice 14 months, he had suffered brain damage from not being found for hours and was awful to all of us but we managed with a hospital bed, hospice and nurses, however, my whole family fell apart, fighting, etc., until he fell so many times and was so sick, we called 911 one night for help and hospice literally threw us out of the program. You are supposed to call them (in my state anyway) and they will sit with you while you watch them take their last breaths. Could not go through with that. Then we had no choice but nursing home, they took every cent they could get their hands on without touching my mom's and he didn't last long there. The key to those places is to research them first as when they send them from the hospital, they put them anywhere there's an opening and some are awful. So research, visit, check for smells, cleanliness, staff, the usual. If it comes to that, always visit at odd hours, with them never knowing when you're going to show up, that keeps them more on their toes. I brought all the laundry home rather than leaving it with them, as they lose it or in the case of valuables, sometimes take them. It's the worst decision in the world to make and the only way you're going to feel good about it is to research, research, and "show up" to check on them. Sometimes they'll talk you into the "assisted living" scenario, and after they clean out the bank book, they put them in a nursing home anyway, so that's a crock. Went through it with my mom as well, and she didn't make it home, I still to this day question myself as to whether my transcription work was worth it, and I have to say, if I had given it up, my kid wouldn't have gone to the college he went to, many other things would have been denied. You are in the "sandwich generation" between what to do with the parent and if you have kids, what is best for them. It's the worst place to be and only you can pray for guidance as to what to do. Bottom line - research carefully and watch for smoke and mirrors, just "show up" and if you don't like it, transfer to another facility. I think everyone who has posted feels your pain. We have enough with listening to it all day; it's tough to walk that walk. Take care, hopefully you will make the right decision. In some states you can have her in a nursing home and if she qualifies, you can also have hospice go in there for special care such as you desire for her comfort. Good luck, know we are all thinking of you.
Has anyone here had the painful problem of having to place their parent in a nursing home? SM
My beautiful dad passed away last year.  My mother and father were devoted to one another, my mother always "taken care of" by my father in every way, married 67 great years.  My mom has always had excellent health, but after about 1-1/2 years, she has deteriorated to the point where I do not know her and I am scared, she is frail, not eating, almost unable to walk, struggles to dress herself or do for herself, will not accept a home health aide, we are trying to cook and clean for her at home but it is getting very scary, she just turned 90 and she seems to be failing fast.  I am so sorry this is so long, but it is all so complicated, it is like she gave up the second my dad died.  Anyone go through this yet????
I would bring mom home
Sounds like it is time to bring her closer to you.
Maybe bring him to your home, until you can get those slackers out of there.
x
Make sure his Will is made out and pray. I've seen too many people like this in my nursing career
s
I have put down several pets and buried at home; vets will provide a box
nm
Does your teenage girl bring home new clothing, pocketbooks?
Watching a show this morning and it was telling about how many young teenage girls now having oral sex, 54% of ages like 13-19. The kids on the show said they felt like you were still a virgin if only having oral sex, reallly common place. They went on to share the fact teenaged girls were turning tricks for money, clothing and the like. They shared the fact that if your daughter shows up with things like sweaters, pocketbooks, etc. that they really don’t have the money to buy, maybe you should be investigating about where this money is coming from.
For a work-at-home MT? I'd say a couple of days max.

I've always been one to work when I'm sick. When you're working at home, you can take frequent breaks and lie down if you need to.  I had a staph infection in my ankle, had to have it debrided, was in the hospital for a week and worked on my laptop from the hospital bed.  Came home from the hospital, and didn't miss a beat.  Of course, I was doing strictly QA then, so not a lot of pedal work, just list4ening to blanks and stuff.


With lap procedures, the point is less recovery time.  Plus you consider the sedentary nature of our work, really there's no reason why we can't go right back to work.  It's not like we're doing any heavy lifting.


The only thing that would require we take time off from work would be some sort of hand or arm ailment.


I've used it with slight burning for 3-4 days.
x
Only 10 days til Christmas? I've only bought a gift for my boyfriend so far ...
AND I'M MARRIED!


I've been ready for Brooke to go home for weeks!

Never have liked her.  She seems fake, her voice is weak, and I hate that little pouty face she makes all the time.  No clue why she is still there.


I'm still cheering for David Cook.


 


I make around $50,000 but I work 7 days a week and long days, although I'm not a fast typer eithe
I think even if your fast, you'd still have to work more than 40 hours a week to make that but I could be wrong.
I remember those days too, but these days they don't want make any child felt left out. They wan
to make each of them feel special and that they have accomplished something.  My 8-year-old brings a certificate of some kind during the day, accelerated reader award, trustworthy award, jr. achievement award, etc.  I guess in a way, no one kid is pointed out as the "teacher's pet" or have the other kids being jealous of him/her for getting this or that award. 
being a grandma
My son-in-law hits the baby. He acts like he is all hyped up on drugs andis really aggressive. There is nothing I can do.

You should give your kids a book about how really smart and gifted children act like heathens when the eat junk food. There are tons out there. Maybe they will take the hint.
my grandma....
Has some money and my mom tries to help her decide what to do with it. I still don't understand what your sister's deal is. Are you implying she WANTS the money when your mother passes away? My mom also speaks about my grandma "losing it", but never mentions MONEY. I think it is right of you to put your foot down with your sister but ALSO discuss the will with your mother. I'm not sure the kind of relationship you have... but I know that my mom can do it with my grandma. I hope you can too
a grandma at 40 wow!
my mom was pushing for that then too but she had to wait until she was 50! ha :)

congratulations and best wishes to your kids and thank your son please for enlisting in the service!
Why should Grandma have to .........sm
help raise 14 kids that her obviously disturbed daughter wants? Grandma raised her child and that child is now a grown adult and supposedly capable of making her own decisions. If she decided to have 14 kids, then she should raise them and not the grandmother.
grandma here...sm
New 1st-time grandma here... I suggest Baby Einstein DVDs, bibs, diapers, Boppy pillow, cloth diapers/burp rags, Onsies in different sizes, books...
Con-nursing
that's too bad - because you missed some really great times if you stopped at around a year - I know that a lot of women stop when they go back to work - but that is not even necessary - your milk stabilizes to meet the child's schedule. Any other questions?
I was in nursing then pre-med.
My vet always says I should be a vet. I just have time for more school right now but maybe when the kids are older. I think this will be a great way to see if I want to go into people and animal medicine. I get to start on Saturday! :-)
nursing
There is such a shortage of nurses, I say go for it. Both my SIL and BIL got their nursing degrees in their 40s and say it was the best thing they ever did. They work together as traveling nurses now and have seen the country. Good luck.
I learned from my grandma's and we did that for my FIL.
His service was the best...just friends telling stories about him. I think the reason for the "saving" is because my grandma's funeral was in Iowa. Plus, honestly, I didn't expect that. It was horrible.
grandma care

Does anyone know any good sites for information on taking care of the elderly.  My grandmother is 82 and is in a steady decline, but all i find online are places to put her and in care aids.   Thanks for any help.


grandma's house

No, I would not make them go - Not all people are meant to be the Norman Rockwell grandma.  Why should you subject your children to that?  Let her take them for an afternoon or even a whole day if she has something fun planned, then get them before bedtime.  I have two grown sons, 31 and 33 years.  My older son used to love to go to grandma's house.  My younger son hated it.  All kids are different.  Let them choose.  JMHO.


Anything I want - kids are going to Grandma's!

Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer (NM)

decision on grandma
I decided to email tell my grandmother i would bring the boys to her house Tuesday to do their Christmas visiting.  I haven't contacted my mother, she lives beside my grandmother; maybe she will come over when she sees my car.  Who knows?
Thought it was my grandma
We moved into my grandmother's house after she passed away. One morning while I was asleep that paralyzing episode happened to me. I always thought it was grandma's ghost. For years after I had nightmares about it. For some reason I thought she was mad because her things were moved and she wanted things exactly the way she had them.
Are you really a nursing student?
Public health 101 - THEY ARE CONTAGIOUS!!!!! No, they are not an infectious disease, but all you have to do is stand next to a child with lice, brush up against them, brush up against their jacket, use the same computer headphones, etc., and instantly they have made you head a home now!

Obviously you have never had a child with this, or you would understand how frustrating it is. We bagged all the stuffed animals, steam cleaned mattresses, pillows, furniture, washed EVERYTHING in the house, etc., did all the treatment on my daughter's hair, and we got rid of them. I don't think you understand how much work this is, but we did it willingly to get rid of these pests. However, two weeks later my daughter came home with them AGAIN, because that same child's parents simply washed her hair in NIX, did not pick out the nits, and did not treat anything else in their house. This child was infested with lice, and she was allowed to be in school. The school nurse said there was nothing they could do about it as far as letting parents know because of privacy issues.

Out of 24 kids in her class, 16 of them got lice. The only ones who did not were the boys, because most of them had buzz cuts.

I don't think the OP was critizing or ridiculing the little girl, just stating how frustrated she is at the school system for allowing this to happen. She does not need to be in school where she can spread these to everyone she comes in contact with. I don't think the OP is being a pain in their butts, and I sincerely doubt that a family who is not willing to take care of a problem their child has is going to welcome outside help!

I really hope that you never have to experience this, because it is horrible. Just imagine your child knows (and can feel) that there are hundreds and hundreds of bugs crawling around on their head, making them itch like crazy!! My daughter begged me to make them go away, she could feel them crawling constantly, and it angers me that she should have to be subject to this repeatedly because someone is too lazy to EFFECTIVELY treat their child.

Enough said!
Nursing program
I am 49 years old, have been an MT for 7 years and am thinking of going back to school for an RN degree.  Wonder what my chances of getting into the program are (I know there's always a waiting list, but of course that depends on the school one chooses too; I live in GA), and how long this all might take.....???  I made As and Bs in high school and aced the transcription program at a local 2-year technical college...................any thoughts?  Should I forget about it?  I don't want to be unreasonable, but having thoughts about doing something to make more money.  I have one child who is a senior in college and have 2 boys to put through college eventually, so more money sure would be nice.
nursing school
Yes, Wellstar is close to me, well the one in Douglasville, (very, very close) is. Wellstar Cobb is about a 30-minute drive, depending, of course, on what time of day one goes. Kennestone is further, 45 minutes to an hour. They have (or used to have) teaching programs onsite? Do they pay for one to go to school as well?
nursing homes
The most popular person in a nursing home is a man who still drives. He has all the widows he wants lined up.
Son's wedding - Grandma is insisting
does not want at THEIR wedding. How do I, as the groom's mother, handle this. This has put us in a very awkward situation and I am not liking it at all. She calls me and then immediately calls our son and is leaving nasty messages on both phones. Threatening messages, may be a better word for it. By the way, grandma is also my mom.
I am old enough to be a grandma, but had my son very late in life.
I am tired all the time, but glad to have him. I just can't get off the floor when I play with him there. Anyway, paper dolls! And imagination! And club houses we made with chairs and sheets, or boxes. But we had to put everything away when we were finished playing, and only play with 1 thing out at a time. Today I was just thinking, by the time I finish picking up the house, the kids are back home again and the house is trashed. Ugggg. My parents never nagged at me. They did not have to. I knew 4 o'clock meant vacuuming and that I'd have to wash the pots and pans if I were naughty instead of my mom doing them. And there were no automatic dish washers, or even phone answering machines! So much to remember. If my mom were alive today, she would not even imagine the things we have and how computers have changed the world!
My secret to happiness what something my grandma
told me.

My grandparents were opposites. I asked her on their 50th wedding anniversary how they had been able to stay together so long. She told me this:

You can sacrifice things in your life for the person you love and vice versa. But, if the person loves you and is worth loving, they will not require it of you.
my great-grandma did similar
to what i am told the neti pt stuff does. she would have me plug one side of my nose, and have warm salt water in the sink (basin as she called it) and have me sniff that water into one side and then the other side of my nose. then i'd blow my nose. gosh i hated it, but by golly, it unclogged my head when nothing else would.
I know they have nursing/rehab homes that do this - sm
My mom was to go to one to get her strength back, do rehab, etc. when she was sick 2 years go--unfortunately she died before that could happen though. My dad though had requested I go up every weekend to help him out once my mom was home (4 hours away), which I would have done. In your case I think it is pretty nervy of her family to ask you to take on this huge responsibility. They should either arrange for her to go to a good nursing/rehab home to get the care she needs, or if they want her to stay with you (why can't she stay with any of them?) and hire a 24-hour nursing service to take care of her, then fine. I suspect they do not want to pay for anything (they see you as free labor), and as she has no insurance she cannot foot the bill herself. I'd lay out for them what your day is like (full schedule) and how it would be impossible for you to do your job (and keep it) and take care of your MIL at the same time. You can always see if you can go PT and tell them they have to pay you for the difference you would be losing in pay in order to take care of her properly (if you decide to do it); or you take a leave for 3 months and they pay you your full salary, see what the cheap skates say then. Good luck.
State Nursing Boards
That's terrible!  I'm an LPN as well as an MT.  Here in Colorado there is a State Board of Nursing that licenses all nurses - RNs, LPNs, and CNAs, investigates complaints, etc.  You might try googling the name of your state along with something like "nursing board" and see if there is a similar agency.  Please be careful, and I hope you resolve this situation very soon!
Nursing Patron Saint sm
Does anyone know who the Patron Saint of Nurses is?   When I tried googling it there is more than one.  I want to get my daughter a medal for graduation that she can wear with her cross.  TIA
nursing patron saint
St. Catherine of Siena
Grandma has a question: Are those baby slings SM

any good? Are they comfortable. My daughter will be delivering her second child in Novemeber and I wondered if those things are comfortable, as I was thinking about buying her one.


Do babies like them? Do mothers like them? Thank you.


Time to move out of your grandma's house nm
x
Another grandma here and I admire people who have the patience (sm)
to deal with longer hair. I think they have so many more options as to wearing it up, down, whatever. Enjoy what makes you happy. Who the heck made those other people the judge of what is appropriate for our age?


When my grandma died, it was only maybe 2 months before I got my inheritance. sm
Her will was pretty basic and well spelled out, and nothing was contested by anyone. She had been in the nursing home for quite some time and that bill had to be settled first, and her home had to be sold (which it did extremely quickly since we took the first offer). But she died the end of October and it was still winter when I received my check. I don't remember the exact month, just that it was still cold when I was chasing after the mailman, LOL.
Hopefully yours will progress smoothly. Wills can bring out the worst in people, but it doesn't need to.
A nursing uniform supply store may know or have them. nm
nm
by this point, it is called "pacifying" not nursing. sm
one of my didn't wean til after that age and it was the comfort that it was providing and her not being able to fall asleep on her own, especially since you specified mornings, naps, and bedtime. you will have to train him to fall asleep on his own without the "pacie". when mine was that old, i ended up telling her mommy had a boo-boo. yep, sounds strange, but i had tried everything and nothing worked. i had to put band-aids on my nipples for about 2 weeks. she would then try to suck beside my boo-boo at first til she eventually weaned herself off it altogether. yep, walked around with what looked like hickies on my boobs for about 2 weeks but boy was it worth it!!!!! also, try what others suggested and get someone else to help out with bedtimes/naptimes til you dry up.
Hi, Jan; used to be in nursing, still have my books, sleep paralysis....sm
along with hypnagogic hallucinations, cataplexy, and narcolepsy all fall into the same category in Neuro, it is recognized and documented. I will not go into the syndromes here, but if you Google up some of the educational articles from medical web sites, there are tons of information. It is real, and thank your lucky stars that you don't experience anything like this.

Certain drugs CAN do freaky things with your sleep/wake cycles like vivid dreams and such, but it is usually self-limited to the med, and when the med is stopped, the problem goes. I have had some of these syndromes going back to childhood, and have had them documented with sleep study EEGs and such because they were so disturbing, seems to happen in clusters and then go away for years, don't know why. And NO, I am not currently on tranquilizers or sleep meds, I take vitamins and supplements, but someone is not a "whacko" if they need them. I don't mean to preach at ya, here, but feel bad for some of the above posters, they need answers and compassion.
Thank you very much, I am begining my journey with my 81yo grandma and really needed that. thanks
xx