Revelations & searing indictment: seniors care

[Captain Awesome]

Whatever happened to parents living with their kids, and kids taking care of their parents once they are unable to look after themselves - financially or otherwise.

[Fritzthecat]

Whatever happened to parents living with their kids, and kids taking care of their parents once they are unable to look after themselves - financially or otherwise.

Because a lot of "kids" don't have the training required to look after a complex care patient in the home. Can you do urinary catheter daily maintenance or even change one? Do you know how to look after a tube feed and the tube feed pump? Do you know how to maintain bowel care in a person on narcotic pain management? Is your home wheel chair accessible? Do you know how to correctly and safely move a person from bed to wheelchair? Is your home equipped with a ceiling lift for when the person can no longer support themselves on their legs? How would you deal with urinary and bowel incontinence?

That's just the easy stuff too.

[grammafreddy]

Whatever happened to parents living with their kids, and kids taking care of their parents once they are unable to look after themselves - financially or otherwise.

Because a lot of "kids" don't have the training required to look after a complex care patient in the home. Can you do urinary catheter daily maintenance or even change one? Do you know how to look after a tube feed and the tube feed pump? Do you know how to maintain bowel care in a person on narcotic pain management? Is your home wheel chair accessible? Do you know how to correctly and safely move a person from bed to wheelchair? Is your home equipped with a ceiling lift for when the person can no longer support themselves on their legs? How would you deal with urinary and bowel incontinence?

That's just the easy stuff too.

What did families used to do about all that?

[Fritzthecat]

What did families used to do about all that?

Basicly, they'd die.
Today, people who wouldn't have "made it" are kept alive (ie tube feeds, medications etc)

The average life expetancy has gone up in the last 100 years.

[steven lloyd]

Because a lot of "kids" don't have the training required to look after a complex care patient in the home. Can you do urinary catheter daily maintenance or even change one? Do you know how to look after a tube feed and the tube feed pump? Do you know how to maintain bowel care in a person on narcotic pain management? Is your home wheel chair accessible? Do you know how to correctly and safely move a person from bed to wheelchair? Is your home equipped with a ceiling lift for when the person can no longer support themselves on their legs? How would you deal with urinary and bowel incontinence? That's just the easy stuff too.

What did families used to do about all that?

They used to allow their seniors to die with dignity before all that crap was required.

[Fritzthecat]

They used to allow their seniors to die with dignity before all that crap was required.

I wish people were made to watch a real Code Blue (cardiac arrest) in real life, not that TV crap, before they were allowed to say "Yes I want CPR despite my age of 75+ years and a diagnosis of a terminal disease."
Some of the people I see who demand CPR are out of their minds! What do they hope to achieve? I have yet to meet the person who has death beat.
Real CPR/Code Blue's is ugly, violent and very invasive. I hope I never see another.

[kelofornia]

[quote="Fritzthecat]Because a lot of "kids" don't have the training required to look after a complex care patient in the home. Can you do urinary catheter daily maintenance or even change one? Do you know how to look after a tube feed and the tube feed pump? Do you know how to maintain bowel care in a person on narcotic pain management? Is your home wheel chair accessible? Do you know how to correctly and safely move a person from bed to wheelchair? Is your home equipped with a ceiling lift for when the person can no longer support themselves on their legs? How would you deal with urinary and bowel incontinence? That's just the easy stuff too.[/quote]


The drama you speak of is handled by LONG TERM CARE, and home care is available to come to the home and assist those WILLING to care for a loved one at home. Nobody expects a family member to be a skilled practicioner, but a little compassion for their family member would be a blessing.
Longterm care is level 3 and 4 where the individual requires supervision and professional assistance. There are not enough facilities available for those with these issues and homecare has been mandated to take up the "slack". Many of the "homecare workers" I have encountered are less skilled than I am and they are supposed to have been formally trained and have a careaide certificate.(a requirement to work for interior health).

[Homeownertoo]

People are living longer these days and EXPECT a miraculous turn around for people in their 90's with multi-system failure. This explains a person who is full CPR in the event of cardiac arrest despite advanced age and terminal illness (which I have personally seen way too many times on the ward.) People simply watch too much TV when it comes to expectations in healthcare. Lots of people in long term care simply wouldn't have lived "in the old days."
How many of you really know what goes on in a care facility, have really seen the health problems of people there, really understand what they go through day after day, other than what you see on TV?

Very good points. I read an article several months ago that suggested doctors, unlike their patients, tend strongly not to opt for the heroics when it comes to their own end-of-life treatment. If accepting their own mortality, and opting out of late-stage interventions that tend to only worsen a person's remaining weeks or months, is good enough for them, shouldn't we as individuals (not society) be rethinking our own expectations of treatment in our 'golden' years? I realize this is not about seniors care, but it is a related issue.

[Fritzthecat]

Very good points. I read an article several months ago that suggested doctors, unlike their patients, tend strongly not to opt for the heroics when it comes to their own end-of-life treatment. If accepting their own mortality, and opting out of late-stage interventions that tend to only worsen a person's remaining weeks or months, is good enough for them, shouldn't we as individuals (not society) be rethinking our own expectations of treatment in our 'golden' years? I realize this is not about seniors care, but it is a related issue.

Most nurses too, even those in their 20's and 30's will tell you to make them a DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) if admitted to hospital.Unfortunately, once a person is no longer making their own choices about their care, the families will step in and ignore all living wills, advanced directives etc due to their own inability to deal with the inevitable. So many people in long term care are there because of decisions like this!
Examples I have seen:
Patient in their late 90's with feed tube, urinary catheter, rectal tube to collect feces, 80% of their back covered in a Stage 4 pressure ulcer (bedsore that goes down to bone-yes you could see their spine!) and the family telling us NOT to give narcotics as it is "too sedating". You can well imagine the pain and suffering this person was in. The family had the false idea the patient would "get better soon" and threatened to "sue all you stupid nurses!"
Patient with advanced aggressivesive dementia who had multiple behavioral issues (ie violent, urinating/defecating inappropriate places, entering patients of opposite sex's room, naked and terrifying them) but the family insisted that their dementia was "mild" and "just put him/her in front of the TV. They really are no problem at home." Then why are we looking after this person? Also they blocked any medication to quell behavioral issues. As a s result this person was agitated and generally in a real bad state when ever awake. A danger to other patients as well as staff.