My mother has been largely bed bound for a year or so, after a stroke and several serious UTIs that have led to sepsis and hospitalization. She is in her home with 24/7 care and has the most wonderful health aides anyone could ask for (all covered by Medicaid - a miracle).
A nurse (from Visiting Nurse Service of NY - a wonderful organization) was visiting her 3 times a week to clean and dress a bedsore that isn't bad at this point, but it persists and needs to be tended to. I had no idea these sores were so hard to heal. Her aides tend to it the other four days.
We put her on hospice care through the same organization a week or so ago (obvious that it's time for that), and now a nurse only visits once a week. Today this new nurse told the aide that she will have to train ME to clean the sore because the aides are not technically allowed to do this (but they have been doing it anyway, plus the pre-hospice service nurse came 3 times a week.)
There is NO WAY I am going to get anywhere near my mother's bedsore!!! It's right above her butt. I am very squeamish, don't want to see her naked, plus she would never allow me to do this. She is tended to by trained aides 24/7. What if I lived far away? I am shocked that they expect me to do this. I called and left a message and said no way. Waiting to hear back.
Anyone have experience with this situation?
That was almost ten years ago, and I have heard that hospitals are now incurring fines if a patient is sent home and then lands back in the hospital within a short period of time due to being released too early or without proper in-home care.
Any place (hospital, home health, etc.) will put the responsibility of patient care on the patient's family. Don't accept it!
I used to be a visiting nurse. I had a patient who needed daily dressing changes. The lady was told she had to have her husband do her wound care. She flat out refused. She didn't trust that he would do it right and she didn't want him to see it. She "won" and Medicare paid for the visiting nurse daily. There was something about her not being able to drive to a facility to have nurses do the wound care there. Your mom would qualify in that area. (That was in San Diego, California area.)
Stick to your guns. Refuse. And if you have to change back to the other situation-do so.
In trying to save money, I think we've gone too far.
As far as I know, an unlicensed medical person can NOT do dressing changes. Only a nurse (LVN or RN) may do wound care.
In the past, a nurse has shown our aides how to tend to the wound, not me. In fact, the nurses who did the hospice intake (not the same as the new 1x week nurse) showed the aide what to do. No mention of me dealing with this at all. I would do a much worse job anyway, especially since I refuse to look at her naked in her current state and she would not want me to see her either.
She doesn't need daily care, just 3 x a week. And I can't be there that often.
Argh. If it's not one thing, it's another!
And the someone could have less medical training than the aide but is required to perform the task?
Sounds illogical.
What if you're not living there like Barb said, or you are sick or you're disabled (just to make a point), will they just leave the task undone then?
Hospice is paid for by Medicare. Is the VNS nurse covered through Medicaid? It doesn't feel to me that your mom should be getting less care now.
Hoping someone will come along and have a good answer for you, Xina.