"Hoping to Die at Home"

[JoeWras]

Yes it is depressing, but also too close to home.

Dad was recently hospitalized. It was very difficult to get him out of there. He went for what I believe should have been 1 day, to stabilize his hydration. But instead he spent 4 days there because he mentioned he had sore jaw. For this, they put him through a raft of unnecessary cardiac tests.

Ridiculous, because even if he had cardiac issues, he would not be getting treatment anyway.

I tell you, they suck money out of the system.

[ERhoosier]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoeWras Yes it is depressing, but also too close to home. Dad was recently hospitalized. It was very difficult to get him out of there. He went for what I believe should have been 1 day, to stabilize his hydration. But instead he spent 4 days there because he mentioned he had sore jaw. For this, they put him through a raft of unnecessary cardiac tests. Ridiculous, because even if he had cardiac issues, he would not be getting treatment anyway. I tell you, they suck money out of the system.

Or maybe just defensive medicine at its worst. Every little complaint must be FULLY worked up to avoid being accused of malpractice. Common sense seems to have no place in this suit-happy society.

[googily]

My mother died last year, two years into a battle with multiple degenerative brain diseases (ALS, frontotemporal dementia). Dad had LTC, which thankfully covered what ended up being 10 hrs of home health care a day (though he used less on weekends). She didn't need *nursing* until about the last week of her life, and we made very very very clear from the beginning that there would be no heroic measures, and no feeding tube. We got hospice involved at a point that we thought was too early, but she died six weeks later, at home, having never once gone into a hospital or facility.

I had done my research, and knew what we were dealing with (and that there wasn't the slightest bit of hope that she'd ever get better), so it was easy for me to stick to my guns, even as my dad wavered. But families who are hit with a parent's medical emergency, or who don't feel sure of their position, can unfortunately end up really being pushed by doctors and hospitals. Thankfully Mom's doctor was in total agreement with our decisions.

But it all sure makes you hope you just wake up and find yourself dead one morning, as she used to say.

[ExFlyBoy5]

My grandmother died about 2 years ago in the home. She was in hospice and it worked out very well...it was where she wanted to die.

It was covered through Medicare and in the end was a lifesaver for my grand father. One of the funny things about it (if there's anything funny about it) is that she died exactly 365 days after being admitted to hospice...the total time that's covered by Medicare. We have said that she certainly got her money's worth and if you knew how incredibly frugal she was, you'd get a chuckle out of it too.

Sent from my mobile device so please excuse grammatical errors.