Need advice and options please as we are out of ideas for this situation. Bullet pointed for ease although warning, still LONG.Â
Mil has been fully bedridden for three years at home.
Primary carer for two years was Fil, until he couldn’t cope.
Now they have paid-help (Caremark) twice a day to help shop, clean up MiL etc. She needs EVERYTHING doing for her, she cannot leave the bed. She spends her time sleeping, on iPad, doing an occasional crossword…
FiL has had a number of bad spates of illness necessitating hospital stays in the last four - six months.
He has been in hospital for the last two weeks with infection, delirium…from which he is now medically recovered butÂ
He now needs up to six weeks rehabilitation and is still very confused / delirious.
We await assessment of if he can live at home let again once more look after MiL. He is no longer allowed to drive.
We have been told his delirium WILL recur.
My DP and BiL have been dividing care - both have jobs and families and live two hours drive away from their parents.
That’s the general situation. The further complicating issues:
Mil is refusing ALL conversations about any kind of respite or longer term nursing in a care or nursing home.
Mil would instead like to increase care at home in order to stay at home. But we believe live-in care is not possible due to size of house / one bathroom.
DP and BiL are under pressure from work to let them know a pattern of working and their absences strain our own family lives.
For those reasons they are unable to keep up their constant presence at the parents’ house and travelling between there, our homes and hospital - which with at-home care potentially leaves MiL home alone and vulnerable for long periods of time. We’re not sure if this is even legal, never mind ethical!
Crazily, she seems happy with this concept if it means she can stay home.
By far the safest option is to have MiL in respite care while Fil either recovers to go home or recovers to join her.Â
Or she ups her paid care at home in order to be safe and clean, and also help relieve her sons. However, as advised by the hospital FiL’s condition will recur sooner or later necessitating dashes again from DP and BiL.Â
Neither could live with us.
Help. Our brains are fried thinking of all possible options and outcomes. Have you ever faced a similar situation? What did you do?
Thank you.Â
Elderly parents
Care options for bedridden mil and sick fil who was her primary carer
thisoldchestnutyetagain · 05/03/2024 20:15
DSD9472 · 05/03/2024 20:25
Its an awful situation. So MIL is bedbound, yet only having a carer twice a day? So for 12hrs, she is sitting in her own urine and faeces until the carer returns? Who is turning her during the night and the day time to prevent bed sores? Who is feeding her a 3rd meal of the day, if only twice daily visits? Even IF she could afford 24hr carers, there would normally be at least 3- to cover all shifts. Not just 1 living in!
Even IF FIL recovers somewhat, its clearly too much to be MIL's full time carer. Are adult social services involved? I'd think respite is the only option short term, with plans to a permeant placement unfortunately- for both of them.
Soontobe60 · 05/03/2024 22:00
Why is she bed bound? I remember my grandma, aged 101, completely unable to walk, weight bear, speak, with advanced dementia. But she did not spend all day in bed. Her carers got her up every day, she was sat in a suitable chair, had her meals in the dining room despite having to be fed. It’s incredibly unusual for someone to be medically bed bound unless they are in a state of unconsciousness.
KestrelMoon · 06/03/2024 20:38
Don’t forget FIL has a say too. This is a couple and it is not all up to MIL what decision they make in regards to living situation and a care package.
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