The hospital wants dad moved to a nursing home quickly, as they say he’s plateaued. So now the financial wrangling begins. I’m trying to convince my mother to dispute the diagnosis of “plateau” as he’s definitely improved since Monday, though not in the past two days. It’s evidently a critical issue, as his health plan won’t cover the first 2 weeks in a nursing home otherwise. Of course, this involves challenging the doctor and Mom doesn’t want to do that. She’s going to be charged $150/day or more for his care in a home, though, so I don’t understand why she doesn’t want to at least try.
We went back up to the hospital again last night to visit and feed him another piece of pumpkin pie. He seemed a little more alert, especially his eyes when we put his glasses on. He gave me a kiss again and drank a whole glass of water from a straw. I’m going back up today and will bring some skin cream so I can massage a few areas of his body that supposedly will stimulate his nervous system. I’m undecided on whether or not to give him some vitamins, like gingko and grape seed extract that can penetrate the blood/brain barrier. I guess I’ll wait till he gets into a nursing home and then see if Mom will agree to it.
The social worker evidently mentioned to my brother that another option for Dad is to go home and be cared for there until he either recovers or dies. Mom wants nothing to do with this option, as she can’t turn him, and the thought of dealing with his bodily functions I’m sure is overwhelming.