Any doctors / nurses around?

[kaytee87]

My grandmother who is in her mid 90s suffered from a stroke which left her paralysed on one side and little / No speech 8 years ago.
She plodded along with my grandpa not too badly with lots of professional care and remained in her home. My grandpa passed away in May and she's been going downhill since despite all the care money can buy and plenty of visitors /outings. I suppose it is inevitable in her situation.
She had a chest infection a few weeks ago that wouldn't shift with antibiotics then an infection was discovered in her leg (her toes are black) which again won't shift. She has oral thrush and is barely eating or drinking. The hospital won't do anything and her GP has said palliative care at home. We've been given no idea of timescale or anything, it's just such a horrible feeling. Would anyone be able to hazard a guess on how long she has left? Is it a matter of days / weeks / months?

I'm so sorry, I don't know but I will help to keep this bumped for you. Could you call a Macmillan helpline and talk?

If she’s not eating or drinking then I’d say a few days to a few weeks. I’m very sorry and I hope you have been contacted by district nurses to enable adequate pain relief and comfort.

What do they mean by palliative care at home though? How much care and how often? Is it really going to work for her? Those are the questions I would be asking. I understand it's not a hospital situation as in not needing acute care. But maybe a nursing home might be the answer? Or would that make her miserable? Sorry that's a lot of questions!
My mum is 92 and is in hospital at the moment with fluid on her lungs. We are all worried about whether she will still cope at home when she is discharged.

I had organised care at a nursing home but her social worker and gp said it's best for her to stay in her own home. We have organised 24 hour care in her own home by her carers that she knows and nurses.
District nurse has been out.

Hi, I’m no expert on palliative care but could you make contact with your local hospice or have your Gp refer you? Or the Macmillan team.
If your grandmother’s swallow will allow it, your Gp could prescribe Nystatin mouthwash for the oral thrush. She sounds like she needs an assessment by a palliative team and a care plan made to help her and you all. 💐

Honestly it could mean anything. My grandmother is 92 and was given 48 hours to live last February. She then lived but was clearly end of life and didn't want to die in a hospital so we had more time and were able to move her to a care home. She had an infection after an op to fix broken leg but reacted to antibiotics. She stopped the antibiotics and deteriorated at first but then in the home things changed! Well, she's improved so much she is now looking at going home next week with carers. In Feb I literally sat by her bedside saying goodbye and counting every breath hoping she'd hang in an hour so my dm could get there.

It's very unpredictable I'm afraid