I live with my grandma, who's 90 and recently broke a hip. She wasn't very mobile to begin with, but is now bedridden for good. She's almost deaf, almost blind, probably depressed and really has no desire to live. She often says that she'd just like to die already. We keep her comfortable, keep her clean and try to entertain her a little, but she's apathetic and just wants to sleep or stare at the ceiling. She almost doesn't eat (a few tablespoons 3 times a day) and gets upset if I keep offering her water and drinks. I honestly don't know how to help her and have told her so. She's still pretty alert, despite forgetting almost anything we tell her, what day it is and so on. She knows exactly where she is, and is not happy. Still, she doesn't outwardly say "Kill me", her reasoning is more like "What's the point of anything". I know I'd feel the same way if I were in her condition - she really can't do anything, not even watch TV! I am very fortunate to have a family who is extremely helpful. There is someone with her almost every day and they help out with everything. They are often more successful than I am at making her eat and drink - I do believe she does it more to please them than anything else. But even when she refuses, they insist and get upset. Food = love, right? I try to hint at them that we should let her go, even though she's still quite physically healthy. She's not dying, but she's not living either! Am I crazy to think that maybe we shouldn't be pushing her to 'live'? Please, please, tell me your thoughts. I'm new to this and I may just be scared and frustrated that she might linger on for a lot longer than my 30-year old self wants to be stuck at home without any real life.
Was her hip surgically repaired? Did she go to rehab? Is her depression being treated?
Have you considered a Hospice evaluation?
I vowed to never push my mom to eat, but then we never really reached a point where she went completely without eating. If she didn't want her meal she could usually be counted on to have a snack later, and she actually seemed to enjoy the drinks like boost or ensure so I was able to get some calories in her that way. Now that mom is in the nursing home I find myself cajoling her to eat, simply because I know that the soup won't be warmed up later if she gets hungry, and because she needs to be fed it is doubtful she gets anything - food or drink - outside of meal times. It's hard, and I feel like a hypocrite.
Give your grandmother permission to stand up for herself and refuse things she doesn't want. Tell your family that keeping meal time pleasant and stress free might actually make her more willing to eat. And point out that often people with a diminished appetite do better with tiny snacks of favourites throughout the day rather than traditional meals, so keep lots of appealing, calorie dense snacks available. Good Luck.
Hospice will at least get you good care and good pain relief. Please consider it!
You sound terribly conflicted about your needs vs. Grandma's needs. that's not unusual. As you say, Grandma has nothing terminal and could live in this dreadful condition for years. Are you willing to be her caregiver, going forward; caregiving for someone who is not invested in bettering their physical or mental condition can feel pointless and maddening.
Is it time to get Grandma into a good care facility, where you and other family members can visit, bring treats, spoil her but also get on with the business of living, i.e., dating, job hunting, and the like?
Things to think about. She will develop pneumonia, more than likely, from being bedbound. Are you going to treat it? She will develop bedsores; are you going to transport her to a carecenter for treatment of those? There comes a point, in my mind, where an elder needs both the kind of and scope of care that it is better looked after by professionals who surround her 24 hours a day.
What has been a mutually good deal has turned out to be very one-sides. Not Grandma's fault, for sure! But circumstances have changed and it is OK to consider changing your situation.
This may be the time grandmother will benefit from being in a care center, probably a skilled nursing home. I don't know what they are like where you are, but it was certainly a wonderful experience for my mother. While she was bedbound they turned her frequently to avoid bedsores. They dealt with a catheter because she couldn't get up. She was never able to bear weight on her leg after her hip broke, but after a period of recovery (while she was on hospice care) the NH used equipment and two aides to get her into her wheelchair every day, used the same equipment to get her to the bathroom, or any time she needed to get up. She went to nearly every activity they offered, with an aide coming to wheel her to it. She liked eating with other folks her age. She loved that there were men around, and she wore her makeup and wanted her hair nice each day.
Would your grandmother do as well as my mother did in an NH? There is no way to know without trying. But she couldn't possibly do worse than what she is experiencing right now, could she? I really think the whole family ought to discuss what happens next. And care in a place that is set up for this may well be the best option.
Hospice isn't something we have here. We have a doctor on speed dial and the woman who takes care of her hygiene, but nobody does both around here.
My thinking is.... she isn't eating and drinking almost anything. How long can she really last? Isn't it better to let her stay at her home of 60 years? On the other hand, yes, it might be a long time, and no, I'm not happy about being stuck in this situation for the long run, but I've seen her deteriorate quite rapidly these past 2 months and I somehow keep thinking the end is not far. Mostly because she wants it and I cannot imagine that changing. She's a bigger hermit than me - she hasn't left the apartment for years. She has no friends, doesn't want visitors, and that's not new. I doubt she'll warm up to anyone at this age, especially since she cannot hear them.
If I ask my family, they will definitely consider a NH, I just don't think my grandma deserves to be in a Bulgarian NH :-/
The rest of the family wants GM to keep on as long as she can. And you? You can see how miserable she is, and you hope she can't hold on any longer. But do you want to do anything to hasten her death? Just what is the alternative to letting her keep on as long as she can? I personally can't condone doing anything to hasten her death, but I understand some people feel that is justified.
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