WannaBeFreeToRoam

Hi Everyone and All,

I need any help that yall can give me. If I did not already tell you, my dads dr. had home health care start coming to his house. This is mainly to have him evaluated and to be helped also. There is a RN who is the patients manager and comes to see him 1 x week. There is also a physical therapist who comes 2 x week. And an occupational therapist who also comes 2 x week. They all stay less than an hour. Just depends on what comes up that particular day.

So, my mom did not like this too much in the beginning. The dr. just told us at my dads last appt., that he was going to be starting on that. They have had 1 session, of about 2 mo. And has now been started on his second session, for about a week or two. They evaluate him and report to the dr. and other people (who - I do not know!).

Anyway, the head lady, RN, called me (she and the other therapists call me a lot). She was nicely informing me that she and the other therapists and possibly the dr. (not sure), want to send a social worker to my parents house in a week or 2. Of course I will not talk to the social worker til next week, and then we will set up an appointment at my parents home. The social worker, me, my mom and my dad. Possibly my sister can come in to town also. I sure would like the support. And possibly our parents might respect her ideas more as she is older and not around as much.

This is what I need help on: What does a social worker do? Who does she work for? (like who pays her?) How much power does she have (as in where and if my parents are made to go to another place to live - like an assisted living and/or alzheimers place). Just in general everthing yall know about social workers. I have generally heard good things about them, so I expect them to help me and my dad (and my mom too, whether she knows it or not).

The home health people believe that my mom can no longer take good care of my dad in their home. She is trying and really wants to keep living there, but there house is very old, about 50 yrs. The door ways are too small for a wheelchair and there is a very long hall. So I know that is part of the meeting. Plus they know that my mom has early dementia and uncontrolled diabetes. Thus, she sometimes does not act "right" to and with the workers. And of course all the other people in the world. We put up with her because we love her. We just ignore her weird sayings or I tell her she needs to take some hormones!!! :>

Also, Is there the possibility of "someone or some group of people" making my dad move into a good alzheimers care place? By their findings and a couple of meetings and the family doctor also? I would love for that to happen, buy now that there is a slight chance that it might, I feel weird... My mom just leaves too much to chance, with my father and his needs and sometimes leaves him alone for up to 3 - 4 hours. I think she just freaks out and leaves (but tells him or the health person). She knows that I would come and give her a break, if she would just ask!

One more thing(?)! :> I was just thinking of writing the dr. a letter or talking to him on the phone, to ask that he have my dad made incompetent. Only trouble with that, is that then my mom would have his POA. And my sis and I are not sure that my moms dr. would give him her POA, which would then go to me. I think?????????

So I shall wait and see what happens next week. Keep my finger crossed, that my dad can go to a very good alzheimers place and that my parents will not have too much of a heart attack - or hate us forever.

Plus, there is also the thought of my mom living in that house by herself??? I hope that if and when this happens, that she will go looking for an assisted living place for herself????? I just do not know what, if any thing will happen?

Take care and thanks for listening.

Love, Wannabe