MIL is still living with us although we are trying to get her placed right now it's not the easiest thing to do. We have also called the local area agency on aging but seems like everything moves at a snails pace right now.
In the past week she has been sleeping 18+ hours a day and I guess since I am not used to this it just makes me feel like I need to do something or do more. She normally gets up around between 10-11 am and will have some tea and then will sit in her chair, maybe read a paper or do a puzzle and usually nods off. She may or may nor eat anything for lunch/supper and then is back off to bed again between 5-6 pm
From reading other posts etc it says the end may be nearing and we really would prefer she not pass at our home but also understand there is not much we can do about that.
Basically just need to vent.......Thanks for listening
And P.S. and by the way, just because you get hospice involved, doesn't mean that she will be dying within their 6 month window. My husband was under their care for 22 months before he died. Wishing you the best as you try to get things figured out.
We live in a very rural area and am not even sure Hospice has their own facility but I guess we would need to check in to that further.
As to the sleeping, as you said, it's been mentioned often and by many here for many elders. I always recommend awakening gently three times a day for medications, cleaning, food if it will be accepted, change of position and up to move around. If change of positioning is done throughout day awake or asleep, and cleanup, then circulation is improved, bedsores avoided. Wishing you the best.
My mom slept about 16 hours a day. She'd only wake up for meals and to watch TV in the evening for a bit. My dad had his hands full just trying to keep a house going and not lose his own sanity.
After my dad passed away, I put my mom in a nursing home that also let her sit in a chair and sleep all day. I'm sure that if I left her there, she'd be dead by now.
After seven months, I moved her to memory care, and they got her up each morning, her meals were not in her room, and they have organized activities every half hour all day long. If she didn't want to participate in the activity (her vision precluded some of them), they put her near the people who were participating. It madea huge difference in her wakefulness, her cognizance, and her general happiness.
Your MIL might just be terribly isolated and has few options to keep her awake. Loneliness can be devastating.