I'm not a vent user, but I'd appreciate any advice, suggestions you can
give...
My mother is 63 years old. Twenty years ago she suffered a closed head
injury. She has some slight movement in her left arm (with a almost
continuous tremor) and can move her left leg off and on a footstool.
She spends most of her time in a jerry chair, wheel chair or a hospital
bed. We have 24 hour home care for her. We use a combination of
caregivers and an occasional home health agency visit. We've been able
to keep her at home for 20 years with no major problems.
She cannot "speak" because she cannot get sufficient force behind her
words. She eats table food and drinks. However, ever since the
accident, she coughs quite a bit when eating and drinking. We have
never had a problem with her aspirating anything into her lungs.
Now she is in the hospital for a severe urinary tract infection which is
now under control. She has a trach and is on a ventilator. However,
they are concerned about her ability to breath deeply enough and
possible aspirations of food and drink.
The doctor has suggested she be placed in a Vencor hospital in St.
Louis, MO. We can't seem to get a definitive (or even waffling) answer
as to how long she may be in Vencor, or if she'll ever be able to return
home again. I know that many people exist on home/portable ventilators,
but I'm confused after talking to her doctors and the ICU nursing staff.
Due to my Mom's physical condition, she will not be able to
maintain/operate the ventilator herself, but I believe that her family
and caregivers can be trained to do so.
Questions:
----------
Is it possible to go home directly from the hospital, or do you have to
go thru a Vencor-type facility prior to returning to home care?
What kinds of things should we be asking Vencor (or any other facility)?
Do any of you have experience with Vencor - in St. Louis or at another
location?
Are there other facilities beside Vencor in the St. Louis/South Central
Illinois area?
Do you see Vencor as a long term "nursing home" type care, or are they
as aggressive about getting patients back into a home setting as they
say they are?
I see that a lot of you use home health agencies. We've been told by
the doctor and the hospital staff that the vent/trach cannot be taken
care of by a home health agency, but then they say she can go home with
a vent. Is this double-speak, or what am I not understanding?
Can you eat/drink orally with a trach/vent in place?
Do you have any experience with feeding tubes?
I know this has been long-winded, but I appreciate any feedback you can
give.
Thanks for your help.
Lisa Shashek
shashekl(AT)cassens.com