By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington. Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services. APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid. We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour. APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment. You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints. Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or
[email protected] to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights. APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.I agree that: A.I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information"). B.APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink. C.APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site. D.If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records. E.This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year. F.You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
*If I am consenting on behalf of someone else, I have the proper authorization to do so. By clicking Get My Results, you agree to our
Privacy Policy. You also consent to receive calls and texts, which may be autodialed, from us and our customer communities. Your consent is not a condition to using our service. Please visit our
Terms of Use. for information about our privacy practices.
That said - towards the middle of this time on pain meds I had a doctor who himself, was a chronic pain sufferer. He explained what worked for him and asked if I'd like to try it. Hands down it has been the most successful at controlling my pain.
The theory is to "stay ahead of the pain". That taking pain meds once you're already experiencing fairly severe pain, it is less effective to try to treat it with pain meds. So - you take pain pills on a set schedule. This isn't a high dose - it can even be Advil or Tylenol - this is a "baseline" pain treatment. Then if you begin to feel "break-through" pain, you take something different - something stronger- but don't wait until the break-through pain is really bad. It will be too late.
It is also a great suggestion to explore anti-anxiety meds, often the need to control things comes from anxiety. And really, when facing death, anxiety is an understandable reaction. She is in control of so little else in her life, that the medication choices may be the last thing.
Having said that, have they tried slow release medication patches? Fentanyl comes in many different strengths and the patches are worn for several days (removing the burden of having to take pills) and slowly release the medication into the system, absorbed through her skin.
Is the hospice team using a "multi-modal" approach to her pain? That is when different combinations of medications are used. For instance a narcotic and tylenol or ibuprofen given on a schedule. If tylenol or ibuprofen is given on a set schedule it can help keep the blood levels constant and take away some of that see-saw effect. Additionally, depending on the cause of her pain there are medications such as neurontin that can be used for "nerve" pain, massage and warm compresses can be good also.
I wish you the best in this journey with your mother. It is a challenging one, I know!
Margaret
There's meds in between Vicodin and morphine. I'd talk to her dr and see what options remain open to her. Sounds like she is in hospice? They are very good at matching pain med needs and the pain. Lower doses of morphine are usually fairly well tolerated and given on as-needed basis.
Added to that, an anti anxiety med usually gives the patient the relief and controls the anxiety they also often feel.
Vicodin, at this point, would be like taking an aspirin.
Talk to her doc or the hospice care manager. Keeping her OUT of pain will help to control it all day, not having the awful ups and downs.