83yr old with mobility problems.

[yinyang]

Any ideas what would be likely yo happen in the case of an 83 year old lady who has had a suspected T.I.A and is taken to hospital unable to stand.
I'm thinking more more in terms of this lack of mobility proves long term or permanent. She currently lives on her own. Her daughter and granddaughter live close by but not really able to provide full time care for her. Would she be allowed home and if so what support would she be given; or would she be expected to find a place in a home and would they keep her in until arrangements were made?
I know that's a lot of questions and it may not even come to this, just looking into possible outcomes. Thanks in advance.

[Ethel]

With a transient ischaemic attack the symptoms last less than 24 hours, so she should be as mobile as she was before it happened.

It is different to a stroke which can have a long recovery time.

[Rosetta]

In the first instance they will need to assess her mobility (and maybe how she managed at home before in case she had other difficulties for example if she was confused or wasn't able to look after herself). They will assess whether and what needs to be provided if she is ok to return home. If she is able to return home there are a number of things that can be provided, aids such as wa lking frames, sticks, help with personal care etc.
She may need assessing by doctors, Physio, Social Worker, ot, nurses on the ward.
Ultimately if she is not well enough to go home, she should be able to stay in hospital while other arrangements are made.
In the first instance I would suggest the daughter or grand daughter a sk to see the ward sister or staff nurse what is happening and what the plans for her discharge are. A referral to a Social worker can be set in motion by the ward staff, depending on the older ladies progress.
Age Concern are usually a good source of information, about what resources are available as this can vary from area to area.
Let us know how you get on. Good luck to you all

[MrsR]

Hospitals don't normally send a patient home if they live alone and there's no-one to care for them... that is assuming that the patient can't look after themselves. The hospital finds out, before they discharge a patient. Usually, hospital-based social workers arrange things with the local council. (They sort out a 'package of care' for when the person gets home.) Or, the hospital arranges for the patient to go to a residential rehabilitation place, so they can continue their recovery. Or, they help the relatives find a care home.

[yinyang]

Thanks for your answers, everyone. At this stage we still don't know very much. Will know more after mum gets back from visiting tonight.
Gran has been shaky and wobbly for a few months, had scan and tested for Parkinson's - all clear - so it was just put down to her age and stress of losing papa last year. This morning it was like a sudden exaggeration of her symptoms - her legs just suddenly went from under her and she didn't have enough strengh to pull herself up. Mentally, she's as sharp as ever and her reflexes, speech, ecg etc. were all showing normal this morning.
Just wanted reassurance that she wouldn't be turfed out of hospital with no real idea of what's really wrong with her and no structure in place for her care.
Will just need to wait and see what happens next, I suppose. Thanks again.

[Ice.Maiden]

The hospital can arrange for a social worker to work on her behalf. This might entail things like arranging for carers to come in for an hour or so a day, to cover important times when the family can't be there - e.g. half an hour first thing in the morning, to get her up, dressed and to have breakast, and then half an hour at night to see her safely to bed. It all depends on how the lady is, but the hospital won't allow her out if there's no one who can care for her (should she need it). neither will they keep her, as they need the beds, so they'd then arrange for her to go into a home for respite care, but this could be anywhere.

[Velvetee]

My mother is 82 and is the same, her legs are weak and she always feels wobbly, unstable and does fall at times.

She was in hospital for a month, for a problem resulting from Aortic Valve Stenosis and seems her physical strength has worsened since she left. We spoke to the hospital's social workers, who arranged a care package for her, so she has carers come in the morning to get her up, washed and dress, then another comes at lunchtime, to prepare her meal and finally another to help her get ready for bed.

Care packages are means tested and an assessment was done, to ascertain her suitability for care, which she passed. A financial assessment was also carried out. The client, will usually only be asked to contribute to costs (�16.50) per hour, if they have savings of over �18K, but obviously the less personal savings, the less the contribution will be.

My mother was in hospital for 4 weeks and has been out for 3, she's been feeling a bit down, as she hasn't really been out for about 7 weeks, so I've invested in a wheelchair, so we can take her out on trips.

The best thing to do, would be to contact social services. if you contact your relative's GP surgery, they will have the phone number for the relevant department. The rules with my mother's local authority was a telephone assessment initially, if that's passed, they advised someone would visit within 28 days, but obviously, this can be too long, so I would definitely talk to her GP to hurry things along. If she's still in hospital, then you would probably get faster results.

[yinyang]

Thanks for the info, everyone.
Gran got out today, much the same as she was before this happened and they're still no entirely sure what it was, which is frustrating BUT she has got people coming round to her house tomorrow to assess her and see if there is anything that can make the practical aspects of being on her own easier. Just hope the stubborn old dear will accept any help offered.
Thank you to all that answered.

[kristawaugh]

She lives on her own? that hurts to know!
She needs someone to look after her because of her condition. Her daughter should hire a caregiver if she cant attend to her mother, or send her in a facility to be 100% sure that she's being taken care of.
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