Never thought that Mother would "do" rehab.
But, she is doing great. She lived alone up until the very last day, that she could. Falls sent her to the hospital for a 2 week stay and she was transferred to a rehab facility.
My sister and I do not live in the same state as she does, so a grandson stepped in and did the paper work. So, our emotions were not a consideration.
This very stubborn woman (and many times hateful) is actually being made to bathe, get dressed, exercise and go to the dining room.
Yesterday, the facility transported her to the doctor and she had a great time. She had refused seeing a doctor for a decade.
She is still weak and needs lifted from bed, but she is so much better than when she was home, sitting in a chair and not eating well at all.
So, my message is "You just never know." We would have sworn she would have hired someone to drive her home, by now.
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My sister and I are both 1500 miles away, so her grandson (50 YO) has been making the decisions. Of course, there was little to decide, since she is bed ridden.
I wish that she had planned better, or at all. She has lived in this small town all of her 94 years and knows what the nursing homes are like.
My mother is the same age as your mother and also lived alone up until she had a fall in November of 2012. From that point she went to hospital and then straight to a very nice rehab facility. That first week in rehab seemed promising as she appeared to actually "enjoy" the attention and the change of scenery after being housebound for the last few years or so. But my sister and I knew better. We held our breath and waited.....
The following week the complaints began to leak out. By the end of her stay there (six weeks) complaints came regularly and profusely. From that point she went to my house (an unspeakable nightmare), back to the hospital - she ]was admitted due to an atrocious, infected wound that first appeared while she was in the rehab -- and now is in her third rehab which is currently being reviewed by Medicaid to establish permanency. I, too, wish she had planned better -- financially, I mean. More options may have existed for her as an elderly person and would almost certainly have alleviated some of the stress my sister and I now feel regarding her current, tentative situation.
How do you wish your mother had planned better?
She has many vehicles. What are we supposed to do with those? My sister and I are not there. So, Mother should have gotten rid of all but one of those, even if she gave them away.
Her house is full of books and papers and junk mail. Not to the extent of hoarding, but she kept coffee cans and boxes - just in case she would need them.
I wonder who she thinks is going to do all of this "leg work," as she would call it. My sister is 75 and in poor health, herself.
She wants her jewelry, from her home. You know how long that would last before it is stolen. She is calling neighbors and asking them to bring commodes and stuff from the house. (She isn't suppose to have those things, in assisted living.)
I will spare you the details of failure to use the Depends, but her progress has all been wiped out and she is headed back to the yucky nursing home.
My sister and I are both out of state, but we couldn't help, even if we were there.