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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.
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V. Complaints. Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com 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.
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Mostly Independent
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Is she taking a dietetic? If so she needs the Sodium Chloride medication to balance that. If not then she is tending to be dehydrated push fluids such as 1/2 her body weight in fluid ounces daily. There are many other factors to consider so like the previous answer I would consult your physician.
Hi Kristie, My mother also had this problem. Please do your own research and do not rely on doctors for it...especially if shes elderly. My mother ended up having(after my own research and suggesting to the doc to test) SIADH. She could also be on some medication which is hindering the sodium levels (many antidepressants can do so) Im not saying to do all of this yourself but do your research and go to your mums docotor with what you know.....so they know you mean business!!
Also Kristie you need to moderate fluids. What i have found is i give my mother the minimal necessary fluids a day. Eg maybe 5 - 7 glasses of water or if she thirsty i give her more. I regularly check that her urine is a good healthy colour and her stools are nice and healthy. Lots and lots of water can actually dilute the sodium if she already has this problem.
To follow up with my previous post yes fluids are important they assist with the Kidneys and the Sodium balances so try these items or just water to bring additional sodium in her diet: Sip small amounts of water. Drink carbohydrate/electrolyte-containing drinks. Good choices are sports drinks such as Gatorade or prepared replacement solutions (Pedialyte is one example). Suck on popsicles made from juices and sports drinks. I hope this clears the confusion from the previous post.
My mom's sodium levels change now and then, we are always aware of them, although doctors don't like to order tests just to check sodium. She's gone from very low (ordered prescription sodium pills, salty foods, electrolytes) to high (bad for blood pressure). Try to find a balance where she eats regular salt diet, and a supplement sodium pill as well as keeping record of intake of fluids. It took us 6 months to get it straight.
Diuretics will lower sodium, excess water intake also, as well as Addison's disease of the adrenal glands. Considering how much (excess) salt is in processed foods, it seems unlikely that she wouldn't have enough sodium from her diet, but if she's only eating fruit and pastries, etc, she might have lack of intake.
Mother lowered her sodium too much by drinking too much fluid in the form of diluted juice. For sure it can be a tricky balance for those on diuretics and low sodium diets and the side effects of other meds. Have no idea of she can drink beer - check with her doc.
Beer, especially drinking it to the exclusion of other drinks and foods, can apparently cause low sodium. Discuss this with her doctor to see if the amount she drinks is OK or if she should stop it. If she is a heavy drinker it might not be good to stop cold turkey -- discuss that with her doctor, too.
By the way, in addition to the ER visits, has Mom followed up with her PCP?
My mother had a very severe low sodium episode when she was 92 (and afterwards she's had many UTI emergencies and her sodium is always checked because of that awful scary event). My mother was delirious and very sick... Very low sodium can cause brain swelling and death if not treated. If it's an emergency situation like my mom, you must rush to the hospital and it takes about four days of a very slow sodium drip to bring the levels back up to at least a near-normal level. The elderly often have "lower than normal" sodium that is not an "emergency". Why this happened to MY mom, we figured out, was she has interstitial cystitis that causes her to feel a LOT of bladder discomfort, and she was drinking WAY too much water, because water helped the pain from the IC. However, that caused the low sodium emergency. Since then, she's been taking the one and only med that is available that (sorta/kinda) helps relieve some of the IC pain (Elmeron). And for about three years she's not had a bad low sodium event. She's almost 97 years old and has UTI problems but she knows not to drink too much water... (Bless you as you try to navigate caretaking your mom, kristiek74!)
My grandmother is always on the verge of dehydration., I have her drink Pedialyte though out the day. In the powered version ( you can buy at Safeway) 1 half packet makes 1 cup= 240 mg Sodium,, 180mg Potassium . I highly recommend it., it has kept her out of the hospital. She drinks 40 to 50 OZs of it every day.
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 ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com 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.
My mother also had this problem. Please do your own research and do not rely on doctors for it...especially if shes elderly. My mother ended up having(after my own research and suggesting to the doc to test) SIADH. She could also be on some medication which is hindering the sodium levels (many antidepressants can do so)
Im not saying to do all of this yourself but do your research and go to your mums docotor with what you know.....so they know you mean business!!
Drink carbohydrate/electrolyte-containing drinks. Good choices are sports drinks such as Gatorade or prepared replacement solutions (Pedialyte is one example).
Suck on popsicles made from juices and sports drinks.
I hope this clears the confusion from the previous post.
By the way, in addition to the ER visits, has Mom followed up with her PCP?