Home help concern

[speccy]

Looking for some guidance here, i have an elderly parent (my mum mid 80's) who i am starting to get concerned about. She's recently been in hospital for a infection issue intestinal area. After 5 days in with morphene and Intravenous IV she was discharged bit i am concerned this has left her in a concerning mental state as well as still unable to eat and drink (both symptoms before she went in, although was being sick also then when trying to eat).
She was fine when i spoke the other day but more n more she is refusing to drink anything always love a cuppa tea before now that tastes weird, wont really drink much water food she's refusing most things and spitting some things out like a kid(red flag?!) I was also going to mention she's stopped replying to me and everyone on WhatsApp but has just replied to me today in a normal coherernt way so that's a relief. Is this all just a depressed withdrawed state? More concerning she still can't eat struggling to swallow anything and feels very wobbly standing, she's stopped showering every day and just sits in her chair in the loung in her dressing gown, again very unlike her. She has high BP high colesterol borderline diabetic etc. Im wondering if pills are doing this or.

Anyone here caring for elderly or know what i can do. 111 is really sh't annoying with mostly inexperienced helpdeskers mentioning useless suggestions like piece of toast and paracetmol. Im glad we've paid our taxes all our lives for this support

Thankyou for listening.

 

[Notch7]

What did the discharge team say at the hospital?

the NHS has a safeguarding responsibility and they should be able to provide Reablement care / intermediate care for free for up to 6 weeks

If it was I would would ring his doctor and tell them your mum has been discharged and you are very worried about her and she needs assessing -ask them about Reablement care -what is available varies depending on which Trust you are in

If elderly people get a bladder infection that can make them seriously delirious -I visited my Dad once and found him naked in the bath with no water in it

If you ring 111 and are not at the house with your mum they will treat that as "remote triage" and will probably just send an ambulance


Ring her doctor as the first thing to do, they will be doing morning surgery at the moment but you should get a call back this afternoon

Ive been in your situation so know what its like!

 

[JohnD]

If elderly people get a bladder infection that can make them seriously delirious -I visited my Dad once and found him naked in the bath with no water in it

Absolutely and rather common.

Also, bladder pain or poor bladder control can lead to people refusing to drink.

Funny taste of food can result from medication or deposits in mouth. Has she cleaned her teeth? An electric toothbrush is a great help

 

[Old Salt]

Contact her GP or Social Services? Does anyone have Power of Attorney? If not there is little you can do other than go and visit and see for yourself.
If she has an infection that can make you confused, my FiL saw snipers on the rooftops from his bed when he had an infection.

 

[speccy]

First of all thankyou to all who have replied and offered suggestions and help i do appreciate it.

Ok i did some chatgpt'ing and noted this from her papers she was administered this via IV.

Metronidazole (Flagyl) is absolutely brutal for nausea, especially via IV. It’s one of the most commonly cited antibiotics where people just lose all desire to eat. Between the metallic taste, the constant low-grade queasiness, and even the smell sensitivity, it can really knock the wind out of someone, especially an elderly patient who’s already feeling fragile.

I am hoping this is the cause of it, she had a visit from a paramedic yesterday who concurred with above, we shall see. Doctors have been useless and the hospital naturally was just keen to boot her out as soon as she showed signs of no longer being at deaths door. More frustrating whilst she was in there she had her own room due to her mental state, but was turfed out because an unruly and violent patient arrived who scared some of the patients including a friend of my mums in there. I saw red when i heard this, i can see why some people could resort to taking matters in their own hands, i didn't of course but that just didn't seem right. Oh what a mess this country is in.

 

[Notch7]

hospital naturally was just keen to boot her out

Hospitals can’t just discharge patients without satisfying safeguarding needs.
Hospital discharge is dealt with in the 2014 Care Act.

Hospitals will get away with discharging patients without ensuring care is in place, if they think they can get away with it.

Govt made easements to the Care act during covid….some hospitals seem to have forgotten that’s been ended….

 

[speccy]

Hospitals can’t just discharge patients without satisfying safeguarding needs.
Hospital discharge is dealt with in the 2014 Care Act.

Hospitals will get away with discharging patients without ensuring care is in place, if they think they can get away with it.

Govt made easements to the Care act during covid….some hospitals seem to have forgotten that’s been ended….

Indeed they just seem to want the bed back and shove care back to the doctors who in turn say anything bad go to AnE, thus overloading AnE its a fking disgrace noone is fixing.

Could be worse, i watched 'The Good Nurse' the other night, omg how shocking was that how hospitals in the USA were more concerned about litigation over saving peoples lives when a cereal killing nurse went amok.

 

[JohnD]

can’t

Shouldn't?

 

[speccy]

So now basically it looks like they just want to discharge him again. Theyve Cat scanned him and are not sure, could be Pancreas, could be Gall Bladder they are not sure. He was in hospital last week in agony for 4 days on an IV anti biotic drip now it seems they're just going to release him again.

 

[blup]

I may have missed something fundamental but the OP refers to his mum, Notchy then refers to “him” and in the last post the OP starts referring to “him”

 

[fillyboy]

I may have missed something fundamental but the OP refers to his mum, Notchy then refers to “him” and in the last post the OP starts referring to “him”

The modern world eh?

 

[speccy]

Im sorry ive been very stressed this week, it's been both parents with similar issues believe it or not. My father also has a similar issue, the specialist is just saying go home bed no longer needed. I want to find his car and break it, and everytime he takes it into repair ill say 'ah its an old car i bump started it, when it breaks down get it towed back in ill do the same, aint got time for any new parts, i know you've paid me all your life but sorry you're not my priority right now(prays it will end up on scrap heap soon)'