My mother broke her back on May 27; went to the hospital for 3 days, and now she is at a Conv./Rehab with an alarm on her wheelchair and an alarm on her bed for when she tries to get up by herself without assistance. The Conv./Rehab has a great team of workers; there are activities available...but mom seems more and more restless. She just wants to stay in her room; is less and less happy. My in-laws do not visit her nor does our 26 year old son, my daughter and her baby commit to once a week, and our two other daughters every two weeks or so as they both work. My husband and I see her every other day--we live 10 minutes away. If she stays the same physically and cognitively, I am considering going with her to Nebraska for her brother-in-law's 80th birthday, having her stay in Respite Care at a Conv. Hosp. and if there is room, leaving her with her many relatives at the Conv.Hosp. there. I was considering possibly doing this in May, 2012. Lately, I'm wondering if sooner would be better than later. She says she doesn't want to do that either.She just wants to go home. Her condo is not wheelchair friendly, and is no longer an option.We need to rent her condo so we can afford to have her stay at the Conv/Rehab. The Conv/Rehab is willing to take her; we are looking at keeping her there 3-6 months, then bringing her here to CA every 3-6 months so she can visit with different people. Have any of you done this before/have any input? Thanks!
Help with the restlessness while she is bed/wheelchair bound.
or
Moving her around. And how do you do so with a broken back?
I am confused here.
Sadly, the rehab did not work out all that well - she had a stroke and then an MI, and we ended up in skilled nursing here. She was about at the same level of function other than some language skills when all was said and done. But because I moved her, when she did finally get worse and was found to have severe and inoperable heart disease, I was able to get her into hospice and be with her when the time came. I cannot imagine what it would have been like if she had stayed 15 hours away. I hated taking her away from the nice AL where she bascially liked it pretty well, was, and the three friendly neighbors who kept visiting her at least occasionally after my Dad died, but here she had the four of us and we have at least a few good memories of things we did with her.