Update on My Mom (OT)

On Nov 6, 12:02*pm, "jmcquown" wrote:
They moved to the physical therapy/rehab unit. *Today they are doing a
complete evaluation to determine what types of PT she needs, how much she
can tolerate (trust me, won't be much), whether they need to include
occupational therapy, etc.

This is, I suppose, a good thing. *The bad thing is visiting hours in this
unit don't start until 4PM! *The nurse said she'll be in the gym or working
with a therapist during "normal" hours. *Well this sucks. *I suffer from
night blindness. *I never drive at night. *With the stupid time change it
gets dark so much earlier now! *It's going to be very difficult for me to be
able to visit her! *My vision for driving at night isn't that bad if the
roads are well lit. *Of course, there are no street lights for nearly the
entire 20 mile drive to/from the hospital. *Heck, there aren't even any
businesses with lit parking lots along the majority of the drive.

The neighbor (with the cats) would be happy to drive me. *But she works
Wednesday, Thursday and Fridays and doesn't get home until 7PM. *Getting a
taxi cab way the heck out here is nearly impossible. *They guy who worked on
the security gate, who drove me to and from the airport a few times to earn
a few extra $$'s, *moved 100 miles away. *They certainly aren't making it
easy for me to go visit her.

I can talk with her on the phone, of course, but it's not quite the same
thing as getting a hug from her daughter. *Especially since they keep
bouncing her from floor to floor, room to room. *She doesn't know where she
is half the time because they keep moving her all around. *Poor thing

Jill

Having been in a rehab facility (at age 35) for a torn up knee, I can
tell you that if you explain the night blindness they will in all
probability help find a time that suits you and them. There are things
in therapy that you can help with, most specifically encouragement -
something I did with my father when he was in the nursing home and I
came when they had him down for physical therapy. He was always
willing to perform better for me than a therapist, so he got more done
with me encouraging "just a few more minutes" or "can you do three
more". It will also give you a better idea of how her strength and
balance are coming along as well as what they are doing there to help
her.

Also from experience, I can tell you she will not be in therapy all
those hours. She will be in therapy two to four hours a day depending
on whether the decide to do one or two sessions a day of PT and OT.
When I was in there, I had only an hour a day of each and because I
was so strong willed and had my own idea of how to do things and
enough mentally to insist that my needs be met at what I wanted, I got
what I wanted and my therapies were scheduled for the afternoon, one
right after the other. They can schedule your mother's therapies so
you can come visit. I promise.

Also, what Sherry said is right about Medicare days. They do renew and
outpatient days are different from inpatient days. Outpatient days are
not limited. I have had an incredible amount of PT since I tore my
knee up (for various things) and limited PT was never an obstacle.

Hope this helps.

"Bridget" wrote in message
...
On Nov 6, 12:02 pm, "jmcquown" wrote:
They moved to the physical therapy/rehab unit. Today they are doing a
complete evaluation to determine what types of PT she needs, how much she
can tolerate (trust me, won't be much), whether they need to include
occupational therapy, etc.

This is, I suppose, a good thing. The bad thing is visiting hours in this
unit don't start until 4PM! The nurse said she'll be in the gym or working
with a therapist during "normal" hours. Well this sucks. I suffer from
night blindness. I never drive at night. With the stupid time change it
gets dark so much earlier now! It's going to be very difficult for me to
be
able to visit her! My vision for driving at night isn't that bad if the
roads are well lit. Of course, there are no street lights for nearly the
entire 20 mile drive to/from the hospital. Heck, there aren't even any
businesses with lit parking lots along the majority of the drive.

The neighbor (with the cats) would be happy to drive me. But she works
Wednesday, Thursday and Fridays and doesn't get home until 7PM. Getting a
taxi cab way the heck out here is nearly impossible. They guy who worked
on
the security gate, who drove me to and from the airport a few times to
earn
a few extra $$'s, moved 100 miles away. They certainly aren't making it
easy for me to go visit her.

I can talk with her on the phone, of course, but it's not quite the same
thing as getting a hug from her daughter. Especially since they keep
bouncing her from floor to floor, room to room. She doesn't know where she
is half the time because they keep moving her all around. Poor thing

Jill

Having been in a rehab facility (at age 35) for a torn up knee, I can
tell you that if you explain the night blindness they will in all
probability help find a time that suits you and them. There are things
in therapy that you can help with, most specifically encouragement -
something I did with my father when he was in the nursing home and I
came when they had him down for physical therapy. He was always
willing to perform better for me than a therapist, so he got more done
with me encouraging "just a few more minutes" or "can you do three
more". It will also give you a better idea of how her strength and
balance are coming along as well as what they are doing there to help
her.

=================================================

All true, and since Jill is going to be her main care-giver it might be a
good idea to learn some of the PT she may have to continue at home.

Hugs,

CatNipped

On Nov 7, 3:52*am, Lorraine wrote:
On Thu, 6 Nov 2008 14:57:04 -0800 (PST), Sherry
wrote:

Before I'd worry that the hospital is milking medicare, I'd consider
how important PT (or OT) is. It's all about *preventing further
disability* as much as anything else. Old folks atrophy very quickly.
IIRC, Medicare paid for 100 days of "rehab" (either in the hospital,
or in a skilled nursing unit). After that, if the patient has 60 days
of wellness before being hospitalized again for a different problem,
the 100 days starts over.
Then again, some patients recover much better at home. I am sure that
visiting home-health-care therapists are also paid to some degree by
Medicare.

Of course, I didn't mean to pass up on needed therapy simply based on
cost. However, it would be prudent to make sure the money is spent
wisely when it is limited. *We heard this from several directions when
Mom was ill including from the hospital social worker. *However, since
Mom never made it to therapy of any kind, and didn't even get close
enough for us to get into the details, *it definitely sounds like you
have had more experience than I in this area. I don't remember ever
hearing 100 days, so we may be talking about something different anyway.
That's not to say it wasn't thrown out there. Given it was probably the
most horrific month of my life, the details were lost on me.

Ignore me, Jill. I didn't mean to make things more complicated. *Sending
you and your mother megapurrs hoping to make it all easier.

L.

Oh, I knew you didn't mean that, Lorraine. I lived and breathed
hospitals,
skilled nursing facilities, rehab, physical therapy, Medicare,
etc.etc. for over ten
months with Dad. He also fell in the hospital and broke his hip, among
various other complications. As you know, it's a horrible ordeal for
the
family and sometimes just comprehending Medicare is a nightmare.
I never had any facility try to limit visiting hours though, so I
don't have any
experience with that. Bridget is right that the facility *should* work
with Jill
about a time that she can stay. Family member support is the most
important
therapy of all. One step-down rehab unit actually had a cot in the
room where
family members could stay.

"Suz" wrote in message
...
On Nov 6, 5:57�pm, Sherry wrote:
On Nov 6, 2:45�pm, Lorraine wrote:





On Thu, 6 Nov 2008 11:59:08 -0800 (PST), Sherry
wrote:

Lori, I think part of the purpose of occupational therapy is to
maintain
upper body strength, and hand coordination in the event the patient is
confined to a wheelchair, even an electric one. Or at least that's
the
impression I got when Dad had it.

It's also a money maker for the facility. �Don't let them stretch it out
needlessly. �You might want to ask what are their specific goals. �It's
my understanding (and my understanding is shaky), that Medicare pays for
30 days, but that's like in a lifetime, year, or something. �Some rehab
facilities tend to take the entire 30 days if the days are available
regardless of whether the patient really needs all thirty.

We thought it was going to be an issue with Mom before we found out how
bad she really was at the time, but I was letting my sister handle all
of that since she works in a hospital billing department. That's why I
don't have more than a basic understanding.

L.

Before I'd worry that the hospital is milking medicare, I'd consider
how important PT (or OT) is. It's all about *preventing further
disability* as much as anything else. Old folks atrophy very quickly.
IIRC, Medicare paid for 100 days of "rehab" (either in the hospital,
or in a skilled nursing unit). After that, if the patient has 60 days
of wellness before being hospitalized again for a different problem,
the 100 days starts over.
Then again, some patients recover much better at home. I am sure that
visiting home-health-care therapists are also paid to some degree by
Medicare.

Sherry- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

You're correct Sherry, this is why most nursing homes have rehab
units. You get 100 or so days of rehab after a hospital stay. They get
a higher rate plus fees. The hospital might have a similar facility.
suz&Spicey

It also depends on whether the therapist can certify that "progress" is
being made. Otherwise, Medicare will only pay for 20 (or possibly it's 21)
days of skilled nursing care after a minimum of 3 days in the hospital. And
the patient must be transferred directly from the hospital to the nursing
home/rehab center. My mother could not be certified as making progress
because of her loss of cognitive skills. She would not be able to remember
the previous day's instructions on the following day. In a case like Jill's
mother, where that is not a problem, I think Medicare will pay for up to 100
days.

MaryL

Jill,
I'd speak with her therapists and explain your night driving issues - maybe
you could work something out like going to visit her for breakfast or lunch.
Christine
"jmcquown" wrote in message
...
They moved to the physical therapy/rehab unit. Today they are doing a
complete evaluation to determine what types of PT she needs, how much she
can tolerate (trust me, won't be much), whether they need to include
occupational therapy, etc.

This is, I suppose, a good thing. The bad thing is visiting hours in this
unit don't start until 4PM! The nurse said she'll be in the gym or
working with a therapist during "normal" hours. Well this sucks. I
suffer from night blindness. I never drive at night. With the stupid
time change it gets dark so much earlier now! It's going to be very
difficult for me to be able to visit her! My vision for driving at night
isn't that bad if the roads are well lit. Of course, there are no street
lights for nearly the entire 20 mile drive to/from the hospital. Heck,
there aren't even any businesses with lit parking lots along the majority
of the drive.

The neighbor (with the cats) would be happy to drive me. But she works
Wednesday, Thursday and Fridays and doesn't get home until 7PM. Getting a
taxi cab way the heck out here is nearly impossible. They guy who worked
on the security gate, who drove me to and from the airport a few times to
earn a few extra $$'s, moved 100 miles away. They certainly aren't
making it easy for me to go visit her.

I can talk with her on the phone, of course, but it's not quite the same
thing as getting a hug from her daughter. Especially since they keep
bouncing her from floor to floor, room to room. She doesn't know where
she is half the time because they keep moving her all around. Poor thing


Jill

On Thu, 6 Nov 2008 12:07:25 -0600, "CatNipped"
wrote:

Occupational therapy?

OT includes things like shoe tying, which ain't easy with a bum hip.

Bud

"jmcquown" wrote in message
...
Granby wrote:
FWIW you should talk to the Doctor or, whomever is in charge of her
case and see what specific goals they have for her. If she is to be
returned home, you could ask to be there for her sessions so you
could learn what to do to help her.


Of course I'll be talking with them. And I already had an in-home
physical therapist coming in twice a week having her do exercises to help
with her with overall strength even before she went into the hospital. I
fully intend to bring her back home.

Jill


{{{{{{{{{{Jill and Persia}}}}}}}}}}

It is hard, but you will do just fine taking care of your mom. We received
our Medicare guide the other day. It is pretty basic and about an inch
thick. So much to try to understand.

Pam S.

William Hamblen wrote:
On Thu, 6 Nov 2008 12:07:25 -0600, "CatNipped"
wrote:

Occupational therapy?

OT includes things like shoe tying, which ain't easy with a bum hip.

Bud


Good thing she hasn't worn shoes in 6 months LOL

Jill

hopitus wrote:
On Nov 7, 5:08 am, "jmcquown" wrote:
Cheryl wrote:
"jmcquown" wrote in message
...

The bad thing is visiting hours in this
unit don't start until 4PM! The nurse said she'll be in the gym or
working with a therapist during "normal" hours. Well this sucks.
I suffer from night blindness. I never drive at night.

Jill, do you wear glasses?

I've been wearing glasses since I was 12 (Got braces at the same
time, don't think that didn't suck!) And my current prescription is
fine, I just had my eyes checked a few months ago. I understand
they make special glasses for night blindness but they aren't cheap.

Jill

You may know this already. If you have an older pair of glasses you
always liked
the frames of (not to mention that they may indeed be in haute couture
again) but
the Rx lenses in them are way past any good to your eyesight, you can
take them
and have anti-glare (it is a coating, not a Rx) lenses in your current
Rx put in that
frame. Commercial places we've all heard of don't like to do
this....but they will if
you are firm. I have had better luck doing this with my HOM provider
of glasses;
who are not so hot on selling you a new, expensive, designer frame....


I've been using the same eyeglass frame for nearly 4 years. I don't require
"designer" frames. I don't give a crap what some celeb is wearing, I just
want to be able to see. And yes, I've had that anti-glare coatings... to me
that is "designer" because it didn't help a bit but cost me extra money.
For no reason.

The last eye doctor *insisted* because I was over 40 I had to have bifocals.
I told him NO but he insisted. I take my glasses off to read a book or a
restaurant menu (for example). I've always done that. My vision is such
that I don't need reading glasses (as in reading a book). I need them for
distance. I need glasses to read the computer screen or watch TV, sure. He
insisted I needed bi-focals. Waste of money. I still take my glasses off
to read up close.

Jill