SummerHope Asked August 3, 2024
Physician's order to institutionalize parent.
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If the physician writes an order for memory care, assisted living, or skilled nursing home, are family members required to immediately follow it especially if they already have 24/7 care set up at home? I assume the family has the right to a second opinion.
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Only courts have the power to deprive someone of liberty and “Institutionalize” them.
Whoever is making decisions can say “thanks, but no thanks “to the physician recommendations— which is not an order. However, I have to wonder why those recommendations are being made. Putting an elder in an unsafe situation is potentially a problem , though with that has nothing to do with the physician “order”.
Your posts to us are sadly lacking in details, so that we have utterly no idea what really you are dealing with, but you have some mistaken ideas about the power of a physician to place anyone in any kind of care, even to and including hospitalization when needed.
HAS a physician written such a thing? A recommendation.
Is there a tug of war going on between family members of the
'Stay Home VS Care Home' type?
The PoA should find a good local reputable facility that has a continuum of care levels (IL, AL, MC, LTC, hospice services or affiliation) AND accepts Medicaid.
This will make transitioning to appropriate levels of care seamless. When she is close to running out of money, her PoA applies for Medicaid. If they have open beds, she will go right into a shared room. Medicaid in most states pays only for LTC, not AL or MC. The need for LTC is usually assessed by a physician and agreed upon by the facility. So for Medicaid, one has to qualify both medically and financially. The PoA needs to have this discussion with the admins of the facility so the understandings and expectations are clear.
In most states the financial app has a potential 5-yr lookback into how the resident's finances were managed so the PoA needs to be on the ball and know what they're doing or they could cause a long delay in qualifying for Medicaid.
In my State, if you private pay for at least 2 yrs and the facility takes Medicaid, Medicaid may pay for the person to stay in the facility.
When its determined a person needs 24/7 care, then POA startes looking for an appropriate place. And that depends on how much money the person has. ALs are not for people who have Dementia unless in the very early stages. MC is for those with Dementia. But neither do skilled nursing. Both private pay. If no money its Medicaid in a Long-term care facility. In all 3 a doctor would probably be needed to say the person is 24/7care and what level of care they may need. No way can they order a certain facility without knowing the finances of the patient.
I have read a few of your messages to us over the last time, and it appears that you are, overall, very unhappy with the medical community and its care of the one you love.
It also seems that you are NOT the POA and that you have concerns, as you said below, with "what the family should or should not do".
The truth here is that there IS a POA. I think you would be best to throw your support to that person and allow them to act for this loved one, and step back after gently giving your own opinion. I think it would relieve you mind, and leave you more free to provide loving support to your loved one as things are handled by the POA.
About Me
caring for aging parent amongst a broken family of adult children.
Your mother also has cancer in addition to other health issues. Why not make it your priority to help the POA successfully settle her into a nice place now so you can all rally around mom during her time of need? Don't look at it as some horrible "institutionalized" setting but another layer of help for mom from a team?
My mother private paid in AL and then Memory Care Assisted Living from 2014 until 2022 when she passed. She was running out of money when she passed and I was getting ready to fill out her Medicaid paperwork at the time. That's how it works. The residents are not "discharged" out into the street! Don't stand in the way of the POA here with outrageous claims! That's my suggestion. Band together as a family instead, for moms sake.