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Who are you caring for?
Which best describes their mobility?
How well are they maintaining their hygiene?
How are they managing their medications?
Does their living environment pose any safety concerns?
Fall risks, spoiled food, or other threats to wellbeing
Are they experiencing any memory loss?
Which best describes your loved one's social life?
Acknowledgment of Disclosures and Authorization
By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington. Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services. APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid. We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour. APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment. You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints. Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights. APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.I agree that: A.I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information"). B.APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink. C.APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site. D.If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records. E.This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year. F.You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
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Mostly Independent
Your loved one may not require home care or assisted living services at this time. However, continue to monitor their condition for changes and consider occasional in-home care services for help as needed.
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UrPatientAdvo , All of us, All of us, need to face this issue. Thank you for commenting. When we drew up our trust I talked to my oldest daughter regarding my wishes if I have no chance of recovering. She said she couldn't pull the plug. So, I made my youngest daughter executer of my health if my husband wasn't available. I do not want feeding tubes or anything else to prolong my death.
sendme2help. Yes, we have a 36' diesel pusher. I don't think this is the forum for your question. Help out there, is there a way sendme2help can contact me outside of this forum?
My brother had a feeding tube while he was recovering from throat cancer, in his fifties. That lasted several months. It is out now, he is eating normally, and we all are delighted. I am certainly glad this technology is available. I would chose it for myself if I had a temporary need for it and a good chance of recovering (although the older I get the less likely I am to make that choice.)
For an elderly person with dementia, I don't think it is a good choice. We turned it down for my husband twice while he had dementia. From what I have read, it does not change the outcome and it usually involves some kind of restraint. A person with dementia, even if they understand and agree to the device, is just going to have a real hard time leaving it alone.
And there are unusual cases (as vstefans points out) where the feeding tube is needed long term, and allows the person to function normally in other respects.
There is no one-size-fits-all answer to the question "Should my loved one have a feeding tube?"
MaryKathleen, Welcome to the AC forum. You are exactly right, I should take my jokes over to the whine thread, or somewheres else. Contacting people outside of the forum is not allowed by AC rules and recommendations. It is considered unsafe internet/social media practice. If you really need to correct someone, click on their name and private message them on their message board. I left a message for you, privately.
If you wish to contact privately you can contact the admins and if everyone is agreeable you will be able to use private email away from the forum. It is however strongly discouraged. You could try private message and set up Facebook contact.
My FIL had a head trauma from a fall. He was in late 70's. Spent 3 months in ICU, rehab etc. He had to use a feeding tube. He made what we thought of as a full recovery. He lived another 10 years. He developed dementia in his later years (results of head trauma?) but lived independently. In his case it was a good decision to use the feeding tube. So would agree with others in that it depends on the circumstances.
While I hate having a feeding tube it really does not restrict me in any way. I set up the feedings overnight while I am asleep and during the day can eat anything I fancy as long as I can get it down in small quantities. I do have to use the commercial feeds, but Medicare pays, because i have a J tube which is fairly small in diameter. The gastric tubes are bigger so it is possible to use home made foods with little risk of blocking the tube.
I think so - bear in mind she did not have a progressive condition, but severe brain injury from lack of oxygen. Most of us thought it was wrong to stop it because she had some responses to people, her parents wanted to care for her, and the person in charge had financial conflict of interest while she had never expressed wishes clearly one way or another.
Vstefans, Also, it's good to note it was the husband who had the power, even though he had moved on, already had another wife, and the parents were not allowed to care for her instead. Big legal battles as he fought to have her euthanized all those years, and then won. A landmark case.
When a person is at the end of life and they stop swallowing properly and lose their appetite; this is a natural process, not necessarily an illness. Just because we can insert food via a tube to the stomach, doesn't mean we should; the reason people have complications with tube feedings in the situation I have described, is that the individual's body is often unable to process the feeding and use the nutrients; often then if we continue to feed is builds up and overflows into the lungs.
By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington.
Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services.
APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid.
We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour.
APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment.
You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints.
Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights.
APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.
I agree that:
A.
I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information").
B.
APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink.
C.
APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site.
D.
If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records.
E.
This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year.
F.
You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
For an elderly person with dementia, I don't think it is a good choice. We turned it down for my husband twice while he had dementia. From what I have read, it does not change the outcome and it usually involves some kind of restraint. A person with dementia, even if they understand and agree to the device, is just going to have a real hard time leaving it alone.
And there are unusual cases (as vstefans points out) where the feeding tube is needed long term, and allows the person to function normally in other respects.
There is no one-size-fits-all answer to the question "Should my loved one have a feeding tube?"
Welcome to the AC forum. You are exactly right, I should take my jokes over to the whine thread, or somewheres else.
Contacting people outside of the forum is not allowed by AC rules and recommendations. It is considered unsafe internet/social media practice.
If you really need to correct someone, click on their name and private message them on their message board.
I left a message for you, privately.