Dad has feeding tube in stomach which all his meds are taken through. Mom needs help daily to crush meds and once a week to sort meds in pill box. All skilled nursing has a min number of hours at an hourly rate when all that is needed is half an hour a day. Any ideas?
to sort meds, to grind meds there does not need to be a Nurse or other medical staff person do that. It is only if the medication has to be administered by a caregiver hired through an agency. (if you hire someone privately you can instruct them to administer medications)
She is in Tenn, I'm in Ohio, over 300 hundred miles away. What can I do?
Also, some pharmacies with package pills into clear packets with labels of medications, who they are for, and time of day.
Another issue is crushing the medications. I realize this is a special case (feeding tube), but some medications should *NOT* be crushed. Talk with the pharmacist about that and also ask about getting liquid medications so no crushing would be required. Of course that negates the dispenser, but it would eliminate the crushing need. A chart might be a good idea if they can be formulated as liquids (not all pharmacies can do suspensions, but they are out there!) so she can mark off what's been given.
Unfortunately it would require a nurse, not a CNA, to "handle" medications, and they are probably less likely to work in short stints. Check with the pharmacist to see if any can be compounded (and ensure they can be crushed too.) If no compounds, then check out the medication dispensers. If there are too many for one dispenser (slots can be set up for multiples per day, but it reduces the total number of weeks down, depending on how many/day), then get two. For crushing, what about a very small food processor?
When my mom started having trouble swallowing pills, we crushed everything on the doctor's orders, including the pills that said "do not crush" on the packaging.
Best idea is to find a Nurse on your own close by to see if she/he would be willing to do it once a week for an agreed upon price.
Keep in mind, even tho you think it only takes 30 minutes, you need to keep in mind that it takes the Nurse driving tim e to get to and from your parents house which could tack on another hour or hour and a half which would total 2 hrs.
Also, think of it as a Service Fee these days for someone to come to your home is roughly $100-$150.
Or, you could make a trip yourself once a week to sort the pills.
They deliver meds sorted by time of day and day of week in individual packets. Great service!
Not sure about the crushing part, but we have been using them to alleviate the sorting for years due to the number of meds my other half takes daily.
Give them a call. They are easy to talk to. Maybe this will make your life a little easier. I know it does mine.
The way I see it, God gave everyone certain talents. Me, I don't have what it takes to become a doctor. But many do because God made their brains that way! And they give that talent back to God by using those skills to help people... whether it's prescribing meds, treating illness, surgeries, or helping someone pass on comfortably. THAT is how God often works.
https://www.amazon.com/Pill-Grinder-Stainless-Pulverize-Multiple/dp/B07D3X37L8/ref=sr_1_9?crid=OI1K1FXSYICV&dchild=1&keywords=pill+crusher&qid=1631032710&sprefix=pill+cru%2Caps%2C445&sr=8-9
Supplements may or may not be beneficial, and probably the tube feeding formula supplies enough of what he needs. Multivitamins and calcium are to help prevent or delay health problems - same with statins.
If you check on community websites such as NextDoor, your question might find a nurse or pharmacist who does this weekly profiling.
Depending on what sort of help Mom needs for crushing the pills, moving to liquids as much as possible is a good idea.
Have you been able to observe her crushing the pills, to see the details of her problem?
Your profile states that you are caring for your father, Willue.
My suggestion would be to call a familiar aide and talk to them about private hire outside the agency. Also, tell them what you need and if they are willing to do it AND capable of doing it.
Best wishes