Please continue to pray for my Mom and our family. She has an initial evaluation from a Hospice this afternoon. We will have a family meeting right after that. It is a secular hospice. I don't know much about them yet. As this is an end of life step and decision I would be much more comfortable if they were Catholic based. Otherwise, I'm sure they'd be fine. She now only talks about wanting to die and preferring we leave her alone. As a result she is refusing food and drink. Yesterday to took in 4 oz of drink. stupid stupid wretched Alzheimer's!!! so much more than "memory" disease
Prayers, certainly. I’m so wary of hospice, even ones calling themselves Catholic. The euthanasia mentality has totally invaded the hospice movement. Unless she’s suffering serious pain, DON’T let them give her morphine.
Brian, There is little to worry about that! We just got her off her sedating med. We want nothing to do with those. Her neurologist 3 weeks ago commented strongly about her med list. We greatly agreed she was over-medicated as she was sleeping all the time and could barely speak. We told him we wanted her off everything that wasn't absolutely necessary. She is not in any pain, though there are times she says she is. She actually has not been able to properly express actual pain or most bodily needs for over a year.
Then why bring in hospice? People have been dying peaceful natural deaths for thousands of years before hospice. When it started it was a good Christian ministry but now it’s no longer trustworthy.
I have left a vm for our priest, informing him she will be evaluated this afternoon and we have a family meeting with them immediately following. She seems to be almost willing herself to die. I have reminded my sister of the conversation had with the psych nurse? to change her anti-depressant. However/whatever she understands, she was saying yesterday she "has Alzhiemers. She wants to die. She 's going to die soon." So long as she is refusing food and drink, we can't very easily give her a feeding tube or IV hydration. She'd start pulling it out. She started fussing with the line in the hospital. That only makes her angry.
I think most (not specifically you Brian), including myself who haven't dealt with it don't really know the purpose of hospice. It's also for the family to help ease through this time and also so EMS isn't unnecessarily called, ensuring Advanced directives are honored, etc. It's about palliative care and further spiritual care. My sister I know needs more guidance in that department, not so much from her sister!
I just spoke with our Priest. He reminded me that aside from assuring patient wishes at the Home in absence of family, the purpose is helping the family accept when it's time to let them go, yes naturally.
She ate a full lunch today and went out for a walk with my Dad!! Thank you for joining us in prayer! I bought a green scapular today during lunch. Just need to get it blessed before putting it on her or between her mattresses. She has rarely worn necklaces so it's probably better between the mattresses. I just don't feel like fielding questions form my sister of a possible "good luck charm." From his comments, she just sounds really depressed.
The Green Scapular was a real blessing to my uncle some years ago during his final illness Under the mattress would be fine It would stay there and not end up in the laundry Praying
