My sister got this call on a Thursday 2/12/15 out the blue. Ended up having to send my wife up to Mom (in Jamison, PA) as my sister could find anyone to stay with Mom that quickly. (My sister is in major "caregiver burn out" so every reaction is on a hair trigger and in panic mode.) Problem is that my sister is the Health care Proxy. I'm not sure the doctor didn't violate some HIPA rules here. My wife has been trying to get a sense of what Mom really needs and we're starting to disagree with the doctor's "prognosis". Not sure what moves to make from here, although we were already starting to look for assisted living facilities in the Northern VA area to bring Mom closer to us. It's primarily an issue of what meets Mom's finances and whether we're talking assisted living or are we really looking at a nursing home. Don't know who makes that call.
As to the HIPPA, well if it was a CCC part of the sign in process may have given permission for MD to make this suggestion. At any rate, since ALs are half the cost of skilled nursing, you might start there. They will let you know if your loved one isn't a candidate for their facility. And each place has its own criteria, so look into several. If memory is an issue, check out some of the Memory Care only places.
Does anyone here have POA for your mom? If not, that should be done.
If she can walk to meals and behaves appropriately and hold her bowel, she could go to Assisted Living. If the MD wants 24/7 NURSING care, then she needs a nursing home. If the sister is burned out from caregiving, there are serious and immediate needs that are more than one person can handle. I strongly suggest YOU get up there ASAP.