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The doctor needs to discuss this with mom.
Oh I left out that both my parents were in their 90's and were fall risks. If Mom was falling there was no way my Dad could get out of his chair quick enough to catch her... if he could catch her, chances are both would land on the floor.
Oh yes, elders are usually in denial that they can no longer keep up a home like they did years ago. My folks were the same way. Dad refused the medical alert, like what is said on the commercial "that's for old people".
My Mom was also one that thought "what does she know??" about her primary doctor.
Sadly we usually need to wait for another medical emergency, 911, and another stay in the hospital before we can move the elder into a safer environment.... hospital to rehab to Assisted Living or long-term-care [nursing home] :(
If her medication regimen requires a blood pressure check before administration she will need more than a home health aide. Home health aides/CNA's aren't licensed to administer meds- they can remind the patient to take them usually from a pre-filled mediplanner, but unless they are licensed they can't dispense medications- that is a nurse's job. If someone has to check her blood pressure every day and she has parameters from her doctor that depend on the reading, that's going to be more complicated.
Some pharmacies provide medications in blister packs that make it easier for the patient to take but if she has to take out certain meds if her blood pressure is low, who will do this? Can she?
Home health aides will help with laundry, meals, hygiene and toileting.
Please consider getting her a Lifeline device that she can use if she falls.
I would think about arranging for more coverage via an agency or family members to stay overnight with her for a few weeks. The cost will probably be private pay to augment the hours provided by Medicaid. Or, assisted living/NH until she gets more physically and mentally healthy.
She may not be able to be left alone overnight. What do the staff at the rehab center recommend?
Good luck to you. It's hard I know, but if she falls or takes her meds incorrectly she will have a set back.
It sounds like your mom might need more help than home care can offer. Are you able to hire a live in caregiver? Or perhaps it might be safer to consider assisted living or a nursing home?
When my dad went home from rehab, I was there every day to check on him and even then it was not easy. It was tough seeing him so vulnerable. I hope you are able to arrange more care for your mom.
My aunt, who has dementia, came home with Medicare home health and was doing fine with that set up until she began to have problems with taking her meds. She now has private pay help two hours each day to see that she takes her meds correctly and make her breakfast and get her day started. Her meds are not as complicated as your moms bp meds. She does have to take one on an empty stomach which proved to be too difficult for her on her own. (dementia )
I think I would try to get a second opinion on your moms bp meds., regardless of what you do about home care. I've been through that with aunt on chasing the bp. Taking bp several times a day. Take this if it is too high. Etc.
We finally got her back on the three pills that work perfectly for her (if they are taken). A new doc had changed them up and we couldn't get the bp straight for about a month. I took her to a cardiologist and he ran every test he could come up with. Decided she was fine except for her bp. ( which is why we went in ) and gave us a busy schedule to follow the bp. I had to stay with her at that point to keep the bp in a safe zone. Bp can be hard to regulate but there are many medications to try before accepting your current arrangement is what I learned. I'm off topic. Sorry.
With your moms condition it sounds like you will need someone to handle her meds in addition to the Medicaid help. I'm glad you were able to get that help. The Medicare aids always take the bp before bathing. So, although they don't give meds they could take her bp and call you ( or tell your mom) if the extra med needs to be taken. That might work for awhile. Personally I would want to be there for awhile anyway after she gets home to see how she acclimates and how the aids work out.
Mistakes happen. Elders are vulnerable. You might hit the jack pot with your aids. You might not. Your mothers care has to be managed wherever she lives. Good luck to you both.
Before she went into the rehab, we were calling and having her take her bp on the phone and then would tell her which meds to take. That kind of worked, but then my brother decided it wasn't necessary because he kept getting readings where she could take all of her meds. So they just stopped taking it. That could have contributed to all the falling that happened before she went to the hospital. She did have one of those medical alert buttons with fall detection, but she refused to wear it. She said it kept going off. I have a feeling that is because she kept falling.