What EXCACTLY do they do??? I have an 87 year old man dying of cancer caused by aspestos, going down very very fast, his wife in her 8Os is nursing him at home. It seems that there are lots of people coming in and out, with a perscription pad and a blue file to fill in on each visit. Lots of pain control, although rather spasmodic and questionable. But no "Nursing" as such. Its his wife that helps him to the loo, washes him down twice a day, whilst he groans with pain through the morphine mist. There is a waiting list for the HOSPICE, which we have raised funds for over the years.
"Funding" has been applied for, which will be granted well after this poor chaps demise. There are zimmers brought in, bed bottles, more morphine, some tips on avoiding bed sores, but mainly, ooooodles of EMPATHY, sad looks, sighs and then they depart, leaving his wife to struggle on with her 24 hours a day NURSING. Is this the "Norm" ???
2007-11-05 10:00:43 · 6 answers · asked by SUPER-GLITCH 6 in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ Cancer
Unfortunately its becoming more common. Hospices are fabulous places (i work in one) but they dont have enough beds to meet demand. Does the person in question have a community nurse from your local hospice or a Macmillan Nurse? They can help with symptom control issues (however it is not an exact science and may take time to find the right drugs for the patient), money matters etc. Some district nurses will provide 'hands on' care. Does your area have a crisis intervention team? They can provide short term care in the home which is aimed at preventing hospital admission whilst awaiting a care package to be put in place. Also its worthwhile keeping on a social services to ensure funding is made available asap. Lastly its worthwhile considering night sitters from Marie Curie and/or localhospice where available to give his wife some much needed rest. Sorry for waffling on!! Hope this helps
2007-11-05 10:18:46 · answer #1 · answered by scotsangel2000 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I've been in a similar position recently with Dad (86) - he had asbestosis too. I got on to social services and they allocated a social worker immediately (within 3 hours) who came to the house, arranged hospice care at home and all the care that Mum and Dad needed. The social worker arranged 24 hour Macmillan nurses, district nurses, palliative care nurses, and Marie Curie nurses to support Mum. When it was obvious Dad wasn;t going to get better, then something called the Liverpool Care Pathway was brought in, which is the hospice care at home. It was excellent - everything that Dad, Mum and I needed was arranged. Dad died peacefully at home and Mum (84) had every support she needed. The GP can arrange this but it takes more time than if the Social Worker arranges it.
I hope everything works out well for him and his family.
2007-11-05 10:48:17 · answer #2 · answered by gardensnail57 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Is she on drugs to regulate soreness? Morphine type soreness alleviation is perchance to make her very sleepy and drowsy and perplexing to awaken, rather if she'd in basic terms had a dose. Did the carers wash her face to attempt and wake her up or try to make her experience delicate? Washing her face might have been to relax her down, or to moist her lips or relieve soreness. i'm sorry you're having to circulate via this-i'm hoping your grandma is delicate. it must be precious telephoning the community hospice for advice in case you may not get via to the district nurses-the palliative care communities on the hospice have a extensive quantity of journey in this.
2016-10-01 22:55:56 · answer #3 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
when my dad was dying of cancer the district nurses came in 4 times a day to attend to him, move him change incontinence pads and wash him, we didnt have to do anything except if they werent there, as he got worse they came in during the night too. luckily we were able to get in a hospice for the last few days and he died with dignity. hopefully a place will become available for him soon so as to relieve the burden on his wife and let her spend some quality time with him in his last days.
2007-11-05 11:04:34 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Sad situation when elderly are left to cope on their own. The G.P. should be contacted to arrange assistance for the wife and also bring in help form Marie Curie nursing staff who are trained in terminal care.
Please ask for help it is there for them, dont let them struggle to give a pain free end to the individuals life.
2007-11-05 12:44:05 · answer #5 · answered by bluemax 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Get on to the GP (General Practitioner) right away and explain the difficulties being experienced. Ask him/her to arrange further assistance.
If they're not careful, they'll be having to arrange for someone to come in and take care of the wife, too, if they don't get things sorted. She shouldn't be having to deal with all this by herself.
2007-11-05 10:36:56 · answer #6 · answered by micksmixxx 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋