I want to know if anyone has had a sudden medical problem and needed or had to go to ER/ and LO cannot be left alone in house. Can you set up plan with a nursing home for respite care for him. We have no family or anyone to assist.
One of our group said she took her DH with her. I can't remember who it was though. She said it worked out okay.
If there are some in home care services in your area, you might be able to arrange for them to send someone over for an emergency. I'm finding their services are high, but if they are the only game in town...... ($15.00-$18.00 an hour)
i took my DH with me and had to spend a nite for tests. he was so good but i expected the worst. he had to sleep on a pullout and sit in the ER on a chair all day which is almost impossible. somehow he seemed to understand the need. i would have an agency 24hr on call incase things like this can occur. you must have some sort of backup in place. divvi
I took my DH with me to Emergency. They almost kept me overnight and I had no clue as to what to do.
Since then, I've been told by my doctor that you call on the Hospital's Social Case Worker and lay it all in her lap. If you need surgery and you know about it in advance, it is a bit easier since the case worker needs to make sure that you don't go home to an empty house if that isn't appropriate. She is the doorway to rehab hospitals, visitng nurses and meals on wheels for you, and for whatever is appropriate for your LO.
If you are already dealing with your local aging (or other) agency, put an emergency plan in place. I'm not yet in that situation so if I need medical services I'm going with the case worker method of dealing with it.
Starling - Thanks for the tip. Last year when I hit my head and required stitches we were with friends. What a treat - I went to the ER and just let someone take care of me for a change! I just soaked up the attention and felt I was on vacation!
I haven't posted in awhile but this hit to close to home for me to not post. Make a plan today, put a list in your purse/billfold and on your refridgerator of contact numbers/medications for spouse etc. I didn't have this so when I was in the doctors office and they couldn't find a blood pressure and wanted to call 911 I refused to go. Who was going to take care of John. Guess what, it wasn't me because I was to sick to care. I'm luckey to have some great friends in my life who stepped in to make sure John had food, I got to the doctor everyday for a shot and my dogs got taken care of. I am now in the process of putting a plan together so the next time I can go to the hospital and get the care I need should the this happen to me again. HUGE wake up call.
thanks, Starling for the tip, thats a good plan if one has to do the ER on short notice, i had no idea bout that- yes, today i will make info sheet out for DH and put on fridge just in case..divvi
This is actually how social services got involved with me. I had a TIA stoke in March of 07, Lynn came to the hospital with me. They wanted to keep me for more tests and observations. I refused, said I had a husband with AD and couldn't leave him home alone. I did say I would come back the next day for testing, signed myself out and left. Guess that wasn’t good enough as the very next morning I got a call from social services at the hospital. It was a good thing though. I have since learned the importance of having an emergency plan. It is always better to have one in place before it is needed, unless you are a slow learner like me lol
I forgot to add, in our community there is not a nursing home or any facility that would take Lynn on an emergency basis only. If I have to be hospitalized and for some reason his children can't watch him, the hospital social worker said they would place Lynn in the elder care unit for my stay. I live in a little town, but I am sure other places do hold beds for just such occasions.
I have the important dates of medical issues, meds, and other information up to date on my computer. When we have a doctor's appointment I just print it out. That is really good for us since we travel (well we have up to this point). Each time I have that available I am thanked at least once. AND, I don't have to write small to fit everything in to those little spaces provided.
If you are able to afford in home care, there are people who will stay with your LO overnight. It was about $18 an hour or so, but well worth it in an emergency.
At the very least, get an account going with an agency, and if you have to leave your house for an emergency, at least someone will be able to stay with your LO for a few hours until your friends or relatives come. We used Visiting Angels; Ithink they are over many states.
Look it up, and then you will know what you are aiming for, to find a comparable agency in your city. yhc
My packets started with a Drug List. I print one out every time either of us go to the doctor or have a test. I brought one with me yesterday even though it was just a test and not a doctor's appointment. Except it wasn't just a test. The person doing the test was a neurologist. He asked some questions since he was going to test both of my legs. One of them gets numb if I stand up too long, like 10 minutes. I also get foot cramps at night. He looked at the list, and said it is the [ ] and [ ]. I take those and I get foot cramps at night too. You need magnesium. Buy Slo-Mag at the drug store.
This is the second time a specialist has sent me to the drug store/health store for something over the counter. The Fish Oil is amazing - no more pain medication! Here is hoping the magnesium is too.
My point is that yes, having this stuff on the computer is good. But having a hard copy just in case is even better.