Emergency Situations

[Jude]

Dear All,

When elderly people get to the state where they are having trouble eating and drinking, then all sorts of problems such as dehydration, constipation and weakness follow right along and it places them in a life-threatening situation which gets worse very quickly indeed.

I don't think it's going to be enough in an emergency to wait for your overworked GP to prescribe something like fruit juice and say, 'let's wait until tomorrow and see how the patient is then'.
You need to act immediately!!! As far as I can see, it works the same as someone who suffers an injury - you get them to the Casualty Department as fast as possible because you are hardly going to let them sit around for 24 hours and bleed to death at home.

Don't take any notice of somebody in 'authority' who tells you that you are overreacting - if you are sufficiently scared for the wellbeing of your loved one, then just get them to the hospital and insist on getting some immediate help. Isn't this what the NHS is all about after all?

If you are seriously concerned - then you need to react straight away. Don't wait until you are in an 'if only' situation.

Jude

 

[mailife49]

Dear Jude and others,

we have just found ourselves (my brother and sisters) in an emergency situation - well , I don't live in uk so they phoned me to tell me that my mother had been taken from the geriatric hospital where she was to stay for some 5 weeks whilst having medicine re-shuffled....... but unfortunately my mum fell trying to get to her wheelchair, I believe. And now they have told me that she has been x-rayed and has to undergo an operation for some part of the pelvis/hip I think... it has a funny name. My mother seems to be in fairly good spirits and had been more verbally coherent till this happened... she was in pain and no one was there except my poor (and wonderful) sister who exasperatedly told them that my mother was in pain but unable to express such.

We're very busy was the curt reply(!!) anyhow a nice foreign girl promised to keep an eye on my mother so my sister was greatly relieved.

An operation at 90(!!) is going to be rather difficult , don't you agree and then the rehabilitation for someone who has difficulites with walking in the first place due to the progress of this beastly disease...... although the blessing is that she doesn't remember, ironic isn't it?

I wonder if you can give me some advice on this,
Bye

 

[freefairy]

Hi Malifie49

Unfortunately i cannot find a solution for you but i understand where you're comming from as far as the nurses are concerned.

My dad went into hospital over 2 weeks ago now (mum didn't like to worry the doctors - he ended up with cronic chest infection and being as weak as a kitten) after introvenus drip for 36 hours the doctors at the hospital tried to give dad oral antibiotics (tablet form) he cannot swallow tablets smaller than the aracept tablets, which are very small, luckily we were visiting dad when the doctors came round the ward, i asked why his canular had been removed and what happens with the antibiotics..... anyhow ..... in his notes it said he had refused meds that morning i explained he cannot take tablet form so they asked how he takes them at home!!!! syrup is much easier doctor

Jude you are right in saying people go down very quick, they also go down avery long way too, dad was like a little old man (he's only 66) sitting in his chair with his head laying on his chest dribbling, he was often falling when he tried to walk but after being in hospital he's a new man, he sits up in his chair, wanders the ward and he's showing huge signs that he knows what he wants but cannot talk in a way anyone understands any more so i've been asking for the speech therapist to visit to see if they have any flash cards to help him let others understand what he needs. He had a tantrum in the hospital the other day for over half an hour, it ended up with him only needing to go to the toilet, with flash cards the nurses could of found out within minutes what he wanted.

We've been told he's likely to be going home this week sometime

Things are looking up for a while

Please get your loved ones checked out sooner rather than later, the doctors and nurses would rather check there's no problem rather than finding a crisis situation.

Take care
Sheryl

 

[mailife49]

Dear fairy...? (sorry forgotten the nick...!),

I was sorry to hear about your dad's problem with the chest infection, but it was interesting to know that he improved in his
self as far as wanting to communicate was an improvement and the flash cards is a good idea, isn't it?

He's awfully young to be in such a state though, what a horrible disease - eh?

Well I hope he continues to be more cheerful, funny isn't it how sometimes being at home all on your own -. is not always the best thing - interaction is quite important I think and activities to make time pass better.

Well will be in touch another time, hopefully and until then I wish you and everyone else a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

mailife