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Mom is in rehab will get out soon. Don't know when yet. Don't know if she will be able to do steps. I was thinking a hospital bed and port a poty in the living room maybe. Someone will be taking care of her during the day as long as needed. Has anyone else done this?


Barbara

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Dear Barbara, Have you considered the option of long term care in a facility for your mom?

Will mom's resources be able to sustain fulltime day time care? Who will take the night shift? Does she have long term care insurance that will cover in home care?

What i believe you mean is a commode for bedside use.
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Lots of people have done it, but mostly for the short term. I would suggest that you really re think the floor plan so that you ans make the living room a real bedroom, get as much furniture out as possible, set up screens or curtains. You might think about moving some of the living room furniture into the unused bedroom so you still have a place to sit and relax or visit.
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People do this all the time. I had a sitting room we would have used for my folks - we had moved into a one-story in case they would ever need it...of course they refused to consider moving.
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Long term care is extremely expensive. Mom doesn't have long term insurance or the resources to pay. Woman that works for mom once a week will charge reasonable fee. Hopefully her neice will do weekends. And brother will be in house at night. She will have diapers on at night so she won't have to get up.

Barbara
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Yes, long term care IS expensive.

How long do the discharge folks and doctors predict that mom will need inhome care? How long is neice willing to commit to giving up her weekends?

Consider applying for Medicaid on mom's behalf, or at least talk to thhe social worker about how to do it. You have acces to resources now with mom in care that you won't have once she's discharged. It would be a good idea to make full use of them.
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Before my mom was released from the hospital, the fire department came to our house for inspection. (This was over 23 years ago. I don't know if they still do this.) They said that my parents bedroom was not a good place to put mom since they would not be able to reach mom in an emergency since the hallway and bedroom doorway was narrow. She was set up in the living room. Whenever we had visitors, they came into the Livingroom. Holidays, people visited (few rare times) and came into the living room. Even towards the end when mom was hooked up to the oxygen and suction machines. Then dad became bedridden and we put his hospital bed near the window, perpendicular to mom. (So that if either parent needed the ambulance, the gurney can come all the way into the living room.)
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I did this for 4 years after mum fell and broke her hip and stairs stopped being an option. I bought a day bed a pretty wrought iron one so that during the day I could load it with cushions and make it look like a lounge again. we had a commode in the room behind a screen - if you are handy or you know someone who is they are very very easy to make - all you need are some person height frames hinged together and then just cover them in fabric or if you want something elegant you could buy the Chinese ones and second hand ones often come up for sale. Or you could run a curtain rail round the area but that does look ugly.

I then got a proper disposal bin for pads (they smell very very quickly) and a plug in air freshener in the commode area just to take care of the nastier smells.

Make sure if the room is carpeted that you have plastic under the commode from the outset. I also had a baby changing chest of drawers by the commode - It held everything Mum needed and had drawers - it was absolutely brilliant. I picked mine up (online) second hand and painted it for about in your money 40$ all inclusive.
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We did it for our Mom, for the first 4 months of 5 & 1/5 months of hospice care. My brothers were handy for setting up the curtain rod, separating it from the dining room, the hospital bed, near the front window and with our large family, her bedroom would have been too crowded and stifling in the unusually hot summer that year. But near the end, she requested to be moved back to the same floor bedroom, as she was so tired and sleepy. It's definitely doable in a pinch!
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True, long term care is expensive. Home care is expensive, too.
I purchase endless supplies, meals for mom, home maintenance costs,
helpers.
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My mom had a "bedroom" in the living room for decades before she ever needed caregiving. (This was due to a marital issue, nothing else.) She eliminated the couch and put a twin size bed in the living room, and that's where she slept - for decades. It made for awkward company visits, because there was nowhere to sit except her bed. No couch, no extra chairs, etc. Just Dad's recliner (where he always sat) and the bed.

Throwing a potty chair into the mix....really awkward if company comes, but if it's necessary, not much you can do but throw a blanket or something over it to hide it, I guess.

It's possible, but if it's just during rehab, I'd keep it temporary if at all possible.
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