Hi all I have never asked a question on here before but have spent many months getting lots of support from all your informative posts and they have helped me enormously along this horrible journey.
My mum is 84 and has Alzheimer’s which was formal diagnosed in March 2023. In July 2023 she went into permanent residential care after she started to leave her house in the early hours of the morning and was not safe to be living alone anymore.
she settled reasonably well and the care home is very good and has lots of activities going on. Mum has never been a big eater but in February she started to not want to eat and has rapidly gone down hill since then. She was referred to a dietitian but everything tried has not helped. She now weighs 6st 6lbs - has lost over a stone in weight. Her food and Fluid intake is minimal now and she has also become doubly incontinent and had to have a catheter fitted due to urine retention. She has heart failure and was on medication for this and her kidneys are not functioning well. I have been told a few weeks ago, by the practice nurse at the doctors surgery that mum is end of life but that it doesn’t mean she will die this week or next but they would assume within the next 12 months.
Yesterday she pulled out her catheter and the district nurse was unable to refit this due to mums agitation. An out of hours doctor came out last night and managed to insert the catheter and rang me after. This doctor also advised that my mum is now End of Life and that he has stopped her heart medication as this is making her dehydrated and also her high blood pressure medication as her blood pressure is low. He has also left End of Life medication at the care home.
I feel my mum has totally given up with life - she is no longer able to walk any distance, does not join in any of the activities and has no interest in anything really. I just don’t want my mum to continue living this horrible life and feel awfully guilty about this but also am terrified about the day when she is no longer here. She has been my best friend and rock my whole life but this is just a cruel way to have to live.
What I wanted to ask is whether anyone had any experience of getting Continuing Healthcare funding when some one is End of Life? Would this be Fast Tracked and who would we need to contact in the first instance about this. The care home seemed a bit vague about it all when I asked them.
Sorry for the long winded post and thank you all so much for being part of this Forum which helps so much xx
My mum is 84 and has Alzheimer’s which was formal diagnosed in March 2023. In July 2023 she went into permanent residential care after she started to leave her house in the early hours of the morning and was not safe to be living alone anymore.
she settled reasonably well and the care home is very good and has lots of activities going on. Mum has never been a big eater but in February she started to not want to eat and has rapidly gone down hill since then. She was referred to a dietitian but everything tried has not helped. She now weighs 6st 6lbs - has lost over a stone in weight. Her food and Fluid intake is minimal now and she has also become doubly incontinent and had to have a catheter fitted due to urine retention. She has heart failure and was on medication for this and her kidneys are not functioning well. I have been told a few weeks ago, by the practice nurse at the doctors surgery that mum is end of life but that it doesn’t mean she will die this week or next but they would assume within the next 12 months.
Yesterday she pulled out her catheter and the district nurse was unable to refit this due to mums agitation. An out of hours doctor came out last night and managed to insert the catheter and rang me after. This doctor also advised that my mum is now End of Life and that he has stopped her heart medication as this is making her dehydrated and also her high blood pressure medication as her blood pressure is low. He has also left End of Life medication at the care home.
I feel my mum has totally given up with life - she is no longer able to walk any distance, does not join in any of the activities and has no interest in anything really. I just don’t want my mum to continue living this horrible life and feel awfully guilty about this but also am terrified about the day when she is no longer here. She has been my best friend and rock my whole life but this is just a cruel way to have to live.
What I wanted to ask is whether anyone had any experience of getting Continuing Healthcare funding when some one is End of Life? Would this be Fast Tracked and who would we need to contact in the first instance about this. The care home seemed a bit vague about it all when I asked them.
Sorry for the long winded post and thank you all so much for being part of this Forum which helps so much xx
