My mum has vascular dementia for about 3 years. Mum had to move into a Nursing Home on 19th May 2006. Prior to that I looked after her at home. She had a stroke in the NH around the 19th August 2006. Four GPs called out to NH to see her and said there was nothing wrong with her. It was plain to me that something had happened to her. I had to take matters into my own hands and insist she was admitted into hospital. She was admitted through casualty were we had to wait for 8 hours in a corridor before she could get a bed in a ward. The hospital only kept her in for a week. They said she was an erratic eater. Before I got her admitted into hospital she couldn't speak or walk. She was able to speak and walk before stroke. She went back to NH and was only there for 8 days when she had to be admitted to hospital again due to dehydration and an infection. She was only taking a couple of spoonfuls of pureed food for the care assistants and myself in NH.
I spoke to a doctor yesterday who told me that she is dying and there is nothing they can do for her now. They started her on a drip through her veins, now all her viens have collasped and she is now on sub fluids through a butterfly thing under her skin. She is being kept artifically alive. She is also on morphine. We have to make the decision on whether to stop fluids and let her pass away quicker or keep her on the fluids until the end.
I don't know what to do for the best for her. She can't tell me as she can't speak or communicate. When she is awake she cries and just stares into my eyes she is also quite alert, she doesn't like the nurses turning her every 2 hours as she is in pain. Has anyone else been through a decision like this?
I spoke to a doctor yesterday who told me that she is dying and there is nothing they can do for her now. They started her on a drip through her veins, now all her viens have collasped and she is now on sub fluids through a butterfly thing under her skin. She is being kept artifically alive. She is also on morphine. We have to make the decision on whether to stop fluids and let her pass away quicker or keep her on the fluids until the end.
I don't know what to do for the best for her. She can't tell me as she can't speak or communicate. When she is awake she cries and just stares into my eyes she is also quite alert, she doesn't like the nurses turning her every 2 hours as she is in pain. Has anyone else been through a decision like this?