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Who are you caring for?
Which best describes their mobility?
How well are they maintaining their hygiene?
How are they managing their medications?
Does their living environment pose any safety concerns?
Fall risks, spoiled food, or other threats to wellbeing
Are they experiencing any memory loss?
Which best describes your loved one's social life?
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By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington. Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services. APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid. We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour. APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
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V. Complaints. Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights. APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.I agree that: A.I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information"). B.APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink. C.APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site. D.If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records. E.This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year. F.You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
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Mostly Independent
Your loved one may not require home care or assisted living services at this time. However, continue to monitor their condition for changes and consider occasional in-home care services for help as needed.
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I would research this online to get enough information to form good questions, then meet with the doctors involved in order to be fully medically informed by the medical team. When asking a Forum of strangers you tend to get anecdotal individual experiences which vary both in reality and in the retelling. That is certain something to weigh in and to help you form questions, but the best answers will come from a medical team. Expert advice requires experts to answer.
Yes, I think it is called rhizotomy? ( radio frequency ablation )and my husband had it done two years ago but it was somewhat helpful for a year or so.
I had a pain pump installed and the first day it malfunctioned. Could barely breathe and was rushed to the hospital where it was immediately turned off. Turned out the pump malfunctioned and the initial dose (bolus) of Dilaudid was way too much I found out later that this is not uncommon and could be fatal. Had it removed immediately before anything more could happen.
I’ve had serious scoliosis all my life, just not quite to the point where I would have had spinal surgery as a teenager. I’m glad I didn’t, because by now (age 76) the surgery is often giving people worse trouble than I have now, breaking down where the implants join the body. I looked up both the procedures you mentioned, and they both seem ‘less risk’ but still ‘some risk’ of serious troubles. For more surgery on my own back, I wouldn’t touch it. ‘Better the devil you know’.
I’d certainly get more than one recommendation. Some orthopedic surgeons are a bit too keen to go (it's their job), and some are keener than others. I'd ask for 'best case', 'worst case', and 'average case', and compare them with 'now'. Your choice.
My 76-year-old mother has been through the whole range of procedures. She had a C3-C7 spinal fusion last year, a six hour surgery. Her hospital stay was supposed to only be about 3 nights but ended up being 5 because she got hospital delerium. I was worried she’d overdose on her pain meds alone at home. (I won’t stay with her because her house is borderline hoarded). Physically she did well for someone her age, a life long smoker since teen years. Her post op recovery required me to help her shower and change dressings on her two incisions. She was back to driving in a few weeks, and some lifting and twisting restrictions for awhile. Several follow up X-rays done. Ongoing osteoporosis treatment to make sure her hardware stays in place.
As she was headed to surgery, urgently, her thoracic spine began hurting. They were so worried about her neck they delayed addressing it. Imaging reveals lots of degeneration, old compression fractures etc. . So far she’s had two MBB injections and a spinal nerve ablation. It didn’t work. Those were fairly “easy” procedures. Just being briefly sedated at the surgeon office, a day or two of pain or burning (esp after the ablation). But much less of an ordeal. They now want to implant a pain pump, which seems to be a pretty involved day surgery and recovery, with much maintenance and tweaking of med dose etc. She so far had said no to this and I agree. They only aim for partial pain reduction, and some people have some real problems with it. I hope to ask her PCP soon about palliative care program.
By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington.
Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services.
APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid.
We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour.
APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment.
You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints.
Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights.
APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.
I agree that:
A.
I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information").
B.
APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink.
C.
APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site.
D.
If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records.
E.
This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year.
F.
You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
( radio frequency ablation )and my husband had it done two years ago but it was somewhat helpful for a year or so.
Just a cautionary tale...
I’d certainly get more than one recommendation. Some orthopedic surgeons are a bit too keen to go (it's their job), and some are keener than others. I'd ask for 'best case', 'worst case', and 'average case', and compare them with 'now'. Your choice.
As she was headed to surgery, urgently, her thoracic spine began hurting. They were so worried about her neck they delayed addressing it. Imaging reveals lots of degeneration, old compression fractures etc. . So far she’s had two MBB injections and a spinal nerve ablation. It didn’t work. Those were fairly “easy” procedures. Just being briefly sedated at the surgeon office, a day or two of pain or burning (esp after the ablation). But much less of an ordeal.
They now want to implant a pain pump, which seems to be a pretty involved day surgery and recovery, with much maintenance and tweaking of med dose etc. She so far had said no to this and I agree. They only aim for partial pain reduction, and some people have some real problems with it. I hope to ask her PCP soon about palliative care program.