Hospital recommends a feeding tube or hospice
Dad fell and hit his head two days in a row, and AL sent him to trauma center both days. 2nd day was due to apparent seizures. Trauma center says they dont think he had seizure/s but don't know what caused the seizure like spasms. Two Cat scans indicated no brain bleed and was no different from Cat scan results from when he was last hospitalized in June.
Hospital keeps medicating him and now they're not feeding him because a recent swallow study indicated that nothing is actually going into his stomach.
Dad hates hospitals even when he's in his right mind, and now with his dementia and hunger and lack of medication, [they dont give him anything by mouth unless crucially needed] he's been combative and has been punching at caregivers and saying extremely inappropriate things. They have him in restraints because he keeps trying to yank out his IV and get out of bed. As far as he's concerned, he's outta there!
We've asked them to do a culture or something for a UTI because he grows some kinda nasty stuff and usually needs a really high powered IV antibiotic. But Dad is making his own care 10 times worse, and all they're thinking about is this feeding tube thing for now. Meanwhile, they're dealing with his combativelness and seizure episodes by doping him up. Which isn't helping.
I really wish they would just check for the UTI before they release him, but they're insisting on addressing this feeding tube thing first.
Doctor won't let him eat unless we sign a liability release because they're afraid he will choke even on liquids.
Fine. I'll sign the release.
Issue is that Dad just wants to go home. Problem is that I'm convinced that he will be released to his AL only to have th AL call the ambulance again when he falls again.
I think this is another reason that the hospital doc would only release him to hospice care.
I don't think Dad is psychologically ready to die, and I hate to elect hospice for him. Hospice means (I think) that he won't continue his dialysis. Without dialysis, he will die in maybe a couple weeks?
Does anybody know if dialysis can continue while a patient is on hospice?
Since he can't swallow due to a growth that blocks the passage of food to his stomach, our options about nutrition seem to be:
sign a release of liability for the hospital and releasing doctor and take our chances if he will choke to death. I wouldn't want my Dad to die that way.
Make him endure a feeding tube. I think in Dad's altered state, he will remove it himself.
Elect hospice and he will die.
I doubt his AL will care for him at the level he needs and I dont think hospice is on duty 24/7.
Does anyone have any insight into any of this situation? Don't hesitate in telling me uncomfortable truth that I may not appreciate or realize. I need to know what Im really looking at and would appreciate all input.
Would hospice be the kindest thing for him at this point? [And that question sounds horrible.]
Thank you so much