This one hit me hard. Lost mom last year. And a close family friend with no immediate family is falling into dementia rapidly. He, too, has been diagnosed with “swallowing issues” after a swallowing study, and he, too, is on a list of meds two pages long.
They’ve diagnosed him as “NPO,” which means only a feeding tube for nutritional sustenance. He has always enjoyed his food, and to deny him that would be a living hell for him. I said no way. Medical waiver signed. Now, his assisted living center won’t take him back under those conditions.
Me and mine are in no positions to quit our full-time jobs and take care of him, so we will be looking for other options. It’s heart-breaking.
We were lucky. My 88 year old mom was admitted to a hospital with sepsis and an UTI in 2020. They weren’t overwhelmed, the hallways were empty. It was less crowded than I’ve ever seen a hospital. We were able to get her out, moved her in with my brother who had a ranch style house able to accommodate her needs, while we found an assisted living place. Today, she’s 92, still has walking issues due to severe arthritis and has developed dementia. She’s going to live another 10 years. What an evil thing the deep state tried to do to this world.