I posted earlier regarding my mother's broken hip. She ended up getting a third surgery which replaced the socket. Prior she has been bed bound "rehabbing" in skilled nursing and strapped to a foam wedge to attempt to keep the joint in place.
She lost nearly two weeks of Medicare rehab time with no rehab other than a PICC line for IV antibiotics (the original hip replacement became infected within a week...required the second surgery and antibiotics.)
She is back at the SNF receiving some PT and OT, the IV antibiotic therapy. The SNF staff just informed me that the doctor is requiring another four weeks of IV therapy. I was not made aware of this by any of the doctors (and honestly when do they respond?!?) Her Medicare has run out as she was not able to stay home more than a week before the infection set in. In other words, she will be paying 7 weeks of SNF care at the rate of about $200 a day (what her supplemental insurance is paying).
Can any of you think of any other options? I was expecting her to go to an ALF in out three weeks, but they cannot handle the PICC line. Oral antibiotics are not available for this particular medication. While this place is "nice", there is little available for stimulation. She is there to receive PT, OT and the IV....but is now otherwise mentally intact. And I thought I heard the social worker mentioned that the PT and OT would be "ending soon" and would pick up when she went to AF.
Should I just suck it up and pay? I put a call in to the ALF to see how long I have to put in money to secure the room I picked out. She was really motivated that she just about done with this place and had her own "room" to go to. I'm afraid this is going to reflate her quite a bit.
Sign me....frustrated as &!#* (and weary)
Of note....she is not PT'd and OT'd enough to even attempt brining her home.
For the AL to hold her room, rent will have to be paid.
1. rehab was about 2-1/2 weeks.
2. about a week at home
3. about 3 weeks after second surgery
4. and now she's back in after the third surgery until about 3/20.
What we don't have is 60 days between occurrences?
AL had several rooms open....she is on the docket for larger room which is normally for a couple or shared by two people, not as commonly rented.
Have you appealed the Medicare decision based on infection and not mom?
Ask about a visiting nurse. My mom got an infection from a knee replacement and she went home with a piccolo and a nurse came daily to do the antibiotics. She eventually learned to do the injection herself and the nurse came every few weeks to make sure everything was okay.
I would definitely ask Medicare and her supplement what they do in situations like this.
My mom ended up on antibiotics for 5 months, so ask about the longevity of whatever solution.