Hi
I hope you can help.
We have had a visit from the Community Matron to check up on my father who has recently been discharged from hospital. As part of the visit she talked to me about looking at Priorities of Care.
My father is 84 is, lives with me and my husband, has been in hospital 5 times this year with pneumonia and UTI's (sometimes both at the same time) and has bladder cancer although this seems pretty stable. His health is clearly deteriorating, his eating and drinking is poor and has gone from 10 stone 4lb at the beginning of the year to 7 stone 7lb now. His mobility has been affected and now can only walk with me holding his hands. He is also becoming incontinent. Up until August he used to attend luncheon clubs every day and was able to walk to the community transport provided and take himself to the toilet etc. Unfortunately this has stopped now as he isn't fit to go.
The Community Matron has spoken to me today and said that she feels dad is in the later stages of Alzheimers and that the amount of hospital admissions this year shows that his condition is clearly deteriorating. She has asked me to think about whether dad should continue to be admitted to hospital or whether to look at Priorities of Care and opt for palliative care at home.
Has anybody else had to think about this ? If so what made you decide that the time was right to make that decision?
I hope you don't mind me asking for your opinions.
Stresshead x
I hope you can help.
We have had a visit from the Community Matron to check up on my father who has recently been discharged from hospital. As part of the visit she talked to me about looking at Priorities of Care.
My father is 84 is, lives with me and my husband, has been in hospital 5 times this year with pneumonia and UTI's (sometimes both at the same time) and has bladder cancer although this seems pretty stable. His health is clearly deteriorating, his eating and drinking is poor and has gone from 10 stone 4lb at the beginning of the year to 7 stone 7lb now. His mobility has been affected and now can only walk with me holding his hands. He is also becoming incontinent. Up until August he used to attend luncheon clubs every day and was able to walk to the community transport provided and take himself to the toilet etc. Unfortunately this has stopped now as he isn't fit to go.
The Community Matron has spoken to me today and said that she feels dad is in the later stages of Alzheimers and that the amount of hospital admissions this year shows that his condition is clearly deteriorating. She has asked me to think about whether dad should continue to be admitted to hospital or whether to look at Priorities of Care and opt for palliative care at home.
Has anybody else had to think about this ? If so what made you decide that the time was right to make that decision?
I hope you don't mind me asking for your opinions.
Stresshead x