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Hello everyone,



My Dad is 81 and has a catheter. He recently was hospitalized for possible stroke and isn't able to walk. He'll be going to rehab for a couple of weeks but when he returns home he may be bedridden. His catheter is normally changed every 3 weeks but if he can't walk, and I can't take him to the Dr., how do I get his catheter changed? Do I have to go the 911 route every time there's an issue from here on out?



Thank you for your help.

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Your dad's urologist can set up a home health nurse to schedule catheter changes at his home.
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My late husband had a supra pubic catheter and became bedridden about 3 1/2 months after having it put in. There were a couple times I had to have him transported via ambulance to have it changed at his urologists office.
But once he became eligible for hospice care in our home, they had one nurse(who apparently was the only nurse who knew how to change it)come out every 4-6 weeks to change it.
Depending on your dads prognosis, you may want to see if he may qualify for hospice care. That doesn't necessarily mean that your dad will die in 6 months, as my husband was under hospice care in our home for the last 22 months of his life.
Best wishes.
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Fred, I would discuss this with the doctor responsible for the catheterization in the first place. He will likely have to do a referral for home care. This is sometimes done for ostomy care of all types. That would be my first stop in any case; best of luck. Let us know if this doesn't work.
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My dad's Hospice nurse changed his catheter. All mother had to do was empty the bag and clean it. By the time he was cathed 'for life' he wasn't putting out much urine, so it wasn't and awful task--just a constant reminder we were in the last stages.

This is something you can leaarn to do--not place it, but empty the bag, The actual placement must be done by someone skilled enough to manage.
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Why are they waiting 2 wks for Rehab? You usually go from the Hospital to Rehab. The whole purpose of Rehab is to get the patient up and around. Try to get them as independent and back to normal as possible. IMO, that should have been done ASAP. Not wait 2 weeks where they are deteriorating even more.

Do you want to physically care for a bedridden person? Doing things for Dad you never dreamed of doing? Let him go to rehab and ask for a 24/7 evaluation. If they say he needs round the clock care, this is when u place him into a Long-term care facility. There maybe one associated with the Rehab so it will be an easy transition.
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Spatzi Apr 2023
They sre not waiting 2 weeks, he is going for two weeks, you misunderstood
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I am guessing that your father is still in the hospital so please talk to the social worker or discharge planner and get referred to a home health agency in your area. Home health care agencies have staff who will provide assistance with your father's care going forward.
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Or possibly skilled nursing at home? Ask his PCP for a referral. They do PT/OT&nursing services The nurse changed my mother's catheter when she had one.
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You might need to hire a visiting nurse to come to the home. You would have to pay out of pocket, but it would be worth it to not have to try to get him to a doctor
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Worriedspouse Apr 2023
Good advice. Where can one find a visiting nurse?
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My Mom had a catheter when she was discharged from the hospital and they provided a nursing service that the insurance paid for to check in on her because she had something invasive. The nursing service took care of cleaning and replacing the catheter as needed until she no longer needed it.
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Ask dr to order home health care upon release from the rehab. This sort of thing could be handled by their staff.
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