Great to hear that the recovery is on track and continued best wishes for a speedy complete one. Thanks! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

New Update:

Here I sit at the Cyber Cafe in RDU. I spent much of yesterday and a bit of this morning with Mom. She is certainly in much better shape than the last time I was here. While she sometimes seems confused, most of the time she seems well aware of what's going on with moments of complete lucidity. She does seem frustrated because she's aware that her thoughts do not always crystalize in the way that she's used to. Over the course of my visits she made some hilarious comments. One of the funniest was when she combined two of her signature phrases,'Let me tell you something' with 'I don't know what to tell you". Strunug together these made for a couple funny moments.

She is eating most of her food and they're hoping to be able to remove her feeding tube soon. After her comments about the quality of lunch yesterday, we brought her a McDonald's Happy Meal last night and even though she had already had dinner, she ate most of it and was happy to have a real Coke (the hospital only has Pepsi which she hates). You should have seen her tear up those french fries! We followed up today by getting her first cup of coffee since this all started. She was quite happy although she did have a conversation with her nurse about how the hospital coffee was certainly not Starbucks!

All in all a very encouraging visit. She's still got a ways to go before she's ready to go back to regular life, but she's really come a long way.

Thanks for your support.

jmx

Thanks for the update and great to hear things are continuing to improve.
Is she still at the same address, only on the rehab floor now or is it a seperated facility with a new address?

Same address, different ward.

jmx

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A man's got to know
his limitations

Is this address good enough to send a card, or do we need to put "Re-Hab Facility" or some such wording?

WakeMed
3001 New Bern Ave
Raleigh, NC 27610

Latest news:

Nanook, hold off for the moment. We got a surprise call this morning where the hospital let us know that they have scheduled Mom for release this coming Monday. While on the surface this might seem like good news, Mom is not ready to live on her own at this time. In fact this evening I spoke with her at some length and while the conversation went very much like a regular conversation, there were a few points that made it clear that all is not right ; like it took quite a bit of convincing to get her to believe that she was really in Raleigh and that Wakemed really isn't in So Cal. In more technical terms, she is "not competent" at this time and so still needs care on a 24/7 basis. This puts us in a bad position as the Dr. had originally led us to believe that she wouldn't be released until year end, so we thought we had a bit more time. So we are scrambling to find a nursing home (which we had hoped to avoid all together considering the progress she has made so far) and sort out the legalities and mechanics of the whole situation.

It is all the more frustrating because when you speak to her, she sounds almost completely normal, and then suddenly she'll say something completely out of left field. Sometimes really funny stuff, but it's painful to hear as it shows that she's really not ready to take care of herself yet. Hopefully we'll find a place for her on short notice, and it will only need to be a short term solution. The hospital did advise us to set up Mike with power of attorney to be able to handle her affairs, but the attorneys I've spoken with so far say that a person has to be "competent" so sign over power of attorney, and that what we really need to do is establish a guardian for her which appears to be a longer and more complicated process.

To add to that complication, we're not sure what costs are involved in a nursing home, but we're pretty sure that we can't fund the adventure ourselves. The hospital mentioned social security and Medicare but I doubt either can be invoked on such short notice.

The good news is that they feel that she is in good shape medically, and you can have a nice chat with her either by phone or in person.

Tonight, call me "frustrated on the left coast".

jmx

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A man's got to know
his limitations

John,
You have mail...

Pam

More mail

more mail as well

others may know much more about this but

you can often get into a nursing hoome or rehab center with benefits pending. IF it is any kind of rehab center with the focus on rehab her insurance may cover up to 30 days. 30 days is the cutoff tby which you ahvwe ot have applied for SOc Sec benefits.

It is a very complicated process but the hospital social work staff SHOULD be able to help you sort through it especially w/ an imminent d/c. Legally they CANNOT d/c anyone unless there is a plan in place that covers the person's needs and if they try to do so you should complain loud and long. (In a polite way of course)

I know estnet probably hadmuch more helpful advice but the short version is it would be very difficult for the center to D/c your mom without having a place for her to go. YOu can request an evaluation on your own to see if the best answer is a nuringn home or something else but they can;t just dump her.

Given that the world of SOc Sec, medicare and disability is a very complex one and it might behoove you to start making inquiries as to the process .


Hope this helps. My prayers a re with you all.

Roberta

Thanks Squeakr,

I have talked w/ John several times today and he asked that I bring you up to date on the issues you raise.

I have been in contact w/ her HR Department, her disability insurance and health insurance coordinators, and her case manager at the hospital. All have been extremely cordial and very helpful.

Right now, the health insurance provider is instructing WakeMed to complete a discharge summary plan to transition Jill to a non-acute care facility. This is based on her current medical state, which is really quite good. But because she still has a feeding tube, and because that can't be removed until it's been in place for at least 4 weeks, she would presumably qualify for a skilled nursing care facility for another 2 weeks or so. This skilled care facility would also be covered by her group health provider.

After the feeding tube is removed and she no longer requires skilled nursing care, she would have to transition again into a convalescence care facility. Unfortunately her health insurance would not cover the cost of convalescent care, so John is in the arduous process of pursuing Social Security disability and medicaid benefits to meet the costs of this care. Jill will have some long term disability insurance available to her, but that will most likely be applied against the level of SSI or Medicaid benefits she otherwise qualifies for. And you are quite right - she can be admitted on a 'benefits pending' basis, though my preference would be to plead for continued skilled care until the qualification process for SSI and Medicaid is complete.

The bit of a bright light is that neuro rehabilitation will be available to her through her insurance provider both in the nursing home and in the convalescent center, as long as she continues to show improvement. This would be true even after she is able to take sufficient care of herself to come home. That is to say, a home health agency will still be available to Jill for rehabilitation. And speaking of improvement - she apparently ambulated 300 feet w/ only stand-by assistance this week!

The hospital's case manager for Jill, working together with Jill's insurance provider (Blue Cross' HMO Blue Care), will give John and Mike the available options for a skilled nursing home probably next week. The family will visit the options and make a choice for Jill. At that point she will be transported to her new home. I expect this may occur as early as mid to late next week. This will be a short term home - maybe 2 weeks to a month at most. I've told John that I can be available to Mike to go down and help him tour the options as they make the choice of a convalescent care facility.

I know I represent us all in offering John and Mike all the help we can give in these difficult times...

[This message has been edited by svpii (edited 12-14-2001).]

Pam, you are quite the extraordinary, knowledgeable, and kind person. Such great and gracious things you are doing...it just blows me away. I know John and Mike appreciate your help, but you should know that the rest of us here (many, I'm sure, like me who have no clue about what to do in this kind of situation) are really grateful that you're here and willing and so helpful.

It's just amazing what can take place in this community. Thank you, thank you, and warmest aloha.

I spoke with John today and once I heard SVPII name I knew things were going to change drasticlly. I also gave him some pointers but SVPII I sincerly thank you for taking this and going on a fact finding mission! It was so assuring to hear John breath with relief knowing that it was a controlled situation.. I too only want the very BEST for Jill.. To Jills family, once again I thank you for allowing me to help and to also listen. I see the light at the end of the tunnel. Its getting brighter every day!

Thanks for the update, svpii...

I am glad you have volunteered to help out with this... knowing your background, you are certainly the most qualified among us to assist with this.

My prayers are with Jill and her family.

John or Mike... would one of you be so kind as to post an address update as soon as one is available?

My opinion:

Yes I'll post an update regarding address as soon as I have one.

More importantly, SPVII must most certainly get recognition here for being unbelievably helpful! She gives new meaning to above and beyond. This woman is unbelievable. We couldn't have asked for anyone who might understand what's going on here than this lady. While many FTers have helped in this adventure, and that help is very much appreciated (plane tickets, advice, general moral support), the specialized knowledge that SPVII has brought to the table has been invaluable.

I must also give a nod to earnestB for his input. It's really great to have people like this who understand this process helping out because I'm basically clueless when it comes to the medical system (seems as complicated as the legal system, and is somewhat intertwined with it in this situation).

Many thanks to all of you who are actively involved in this situation or even just on the sidelines, but praying/ putting out good thoughts. It really means more than I can say.

Thanks for all your support.

jmx

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A man's got to know
his limitations

[This message has been edited by jmxcpter (edited 12-14-2001).]