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Elderly parents

My Mum has been in hospital for six weeks

52 replies

MrsSchadenfreude · 16/10/2022 07:30

She went in because she’d had a stroke, had another small one while she was in there, was then diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. The doctor told her she was getting worse (but has told me she is stable). They won’t let her come home with carers unless she walks (with a frame - which she was doing until she was told she was getting worse), and she just says she will walk when she goes home.

I am overseas, and have been back twice to see her since she has been in hospital. I’m going to go back again next week. I would like her to go home with nursing care if possible but have no idea how I would arrange this, or maybe into a hospice. She tells me every day how much she hates it in hospital but all the hospital say is that she is not well enough to go home yet. I don’t know who I can talk to. They told me last week that she was having a scan of her heart, and that someone would call to update me. But no-one ever does, and I just get told that she is stable and she could have weeks left or months and months. It’s the same whether I phone or am there in person. And I don’t know what to do.

OP posts:
DenholmElliot1 · 16/10/2022 07:55

and she just says she will walk when she goes home.

It doesn't work like that. The staff need to see that she can walk before they can send her home and you need to spell that out very clearly to your mum. So if your mum hates hospital so much she is going to have to walk in hospital to show them she is capable. Unless of course, she can't walk - in which case a care package needs to be put in place - by you - to enable her to live independantly at home. Failing this, a care home place will have to be found. There really aren't any other options unfortunately and you need to be quite clear with your mum and explain this to her.

Sorry for all the stress, it must be horrible.

idontknow202 · 16/10/2022 07:46

Hi,

Im sorry for you for what you are going through, it sounds so stressful, especially dealing with it from abroad.
Have you contacted PALS? They’re usually an excellent starting point to understand and go between the over stretched staff and family and give you a plan.
There is also the care coordinator for the ward your mum is on if you can speak to them. They would deal with making sure your mum is safe at home with short term care support (usually 6weeks ) while long term is implemented.
Our hospital also has a patient advice line to call and you can speak to a nurse on the phone and they ask questions on your behalf, does your hospital have anything like that?

hope you can speak to someone to help you make a plan to get her out of hospital, the longer it goes on the harder is it for them to adjust to going home as everything is done for them in hospital.