Getting Mum to hospital

[desperado]

Some of you may remember that I have been having problems with Mum's rectal prolapse. Well I have finally managed to arrange for her to have an operation to sort it out. However.......... on Monday I had to get her to the hospital for a pre -op appointment. This proved very difficult and she flatly refused to go. My brother and I worked on her for about 45 minutes and finally managed to get her to go. I now have the job of getting her to the hospital on Monday (11/11) to have the operation and stay for a couple of nights. Has anyone dealt with a similar situation and I wondered if anyone has any ideas on how to persuade her to go there. She doesn't accept that she has anything wrong with her as she forgets about it until it happens again and this is now at least twice a day but usually in the evenings. So to get her to the hospital for 10am is going to be a real nightmare. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[FifiMo]

Would it be possible for her to go in the evening before where it is not time critical to get her there. You could then take her out for some Sunday lunch then meander on down to the hospital. In these circumstances it is recommended that you don't pre-announce what is going on as this just gets them agitated. My first thought when I read your post was white lies...anything you can get her attention with that would get her voluntarily out of the house. Just not mentioning the H word. Maybe changing the routine would work too..eg could she stay with you or your brother the night before? Ask her for help with something eg go with you to visit a friend in hospital.

One thing to consider is a plan of action if she is confused and non cooperative in the hospital. Most wards are not staffed to give one to one care 24/7 so it might help everyone if you or your brother offer to sit with her during the day to make sure she doesn't wander or remove cannulas, that kind of thing.

Best of luck and I hope your mum is much better after the op.

Fiona

 

[mrsted]

Hi there
Please speak to the ward staff and explain the situation, they should be able to put things into process for you and work wth you and your mum to make the experience as comfortable as possible. Also check with the local authority patient liason service as they may be able to help as well.
Hope all goes well

 

[desperado]

Would it be possible for her to go in the evening before where it is not time critical to get her there. You could then take her out for some Sunday lunch then meander on down to the hospital.

We considered this but the hospital can't accommodate her the night before (even though we're paying !!!) However, thinking about it, going out in the dark is worse than in the daylight. Have thought about saying we're going shopping but she won't understand why she HAS to go and may say she doesn't want to go. I think I will have to say the Doctor wants to see her to discuss the results of the tests she had on 4th November, that's all I can think of at the moment. Even one of her carer's who works with dementia patients in a nursing home at weekends says she's not sure how we will handle Mum as she says she's a bit more on the ball "suspicious" than the ones in the nursing home.