Hi, it’s Patrik Hutzel from INTENSIVECAREHOTLINE.COM, where we instantly improve
the lives for Families of critically ill Patients in Intensive Care, so that you can make informed decisions, have PEACE OF MIND, real power, real control and so that you can influence decision making fast, even if you’re not a doctor or a nurse in Intensive Care!
This is another episode of “YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED” and in last week’s episode I answered another frequently asked question from our readers and the question last week was
My brother is in a diabetic coma and had a heart attack! Now he’s not waking up, does he have brain damage?
You can check out the answer to last week’s question by clicking on the link here.
In this week’s episode of “YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED” I want to answer another question from one of our readers and the questions this week is
My 23 year old son has an ABI! He’s now in a subacute facility with a tracheostomy and we want our son at home, what are our options?
This question from Linda is an excerpt of a 1:1 phone counselling and consulting session.
Linda describes her son’s situation as follows.
Hi Patrik,
I read about you on an online support
group called, Team Inspire. My now 23 year old son Spencer suffered an anoxic brain injury on Aug 12, 2012.
He is currently in a long term, sub acute care facility and he has been for the last 3 years. They do NOTHING in the way of rehabilitation.
We live in San Diego, California.
Do you have any information that may help me get my only
son, my Spencer, the help he so deserves. I miss him, DESPERATELY…
His brain injury occurred on Aug 12, 2012. He does have a tracheostomy, but he is not on a ventilator.
He is on a feeding tube, he opens his eyes, responds
to us, but he isn’t mobile at all. They used to get him into a jeri-chair, but not anymore.
His quality of life is dreadful in this subacute facility and I believe it can be improved if he could go home with the right support!
We live an hour away from the subacute facility and therefore, travelling and spending time with him takes time! It’s also why we want him at
home!
We live in a very small, 1 bedroom house. I was told that we would have to have a bathroom that has a handicapped accessible shower, which we don’t have, in order to bring him home, which is what I want so badly. He needs to be home, with us. I KNOW he is awake and he can see, hear and feel us, he is just trapped inside of his body.
Any help and advice would so much
appreciated!
Kind Regards
Linda
Hi Linda,
thank you for your questions and thank you for using my 1:1 phone/Skype counselling and consulting services.
I’m very sorry to hear that your 23 year old son Spencer is in such a difficult situation.
It’s very sad to hear that the long-term care facility is doing no rehabilitation.
It’s very sad to hear that young people like Spencer get institutionalized so early on in
his life! It’s very sad and I believe a big shift towards home care and institutionalized care is vital!
If your son has been hospitalized/ institutionalized since 2012 why are they not sending him home with specialized care?
From what you are describing and from my perspective there is absolutely no reason why your son can’t be at home, despite the challenges he is
facing.
The reason I am saying this so confidently is that I run my own nursing service here in Melbourne, Australia. We provide Intensive Home Care nursing services for long-term ventilated Intensive Care Patients with Tracheostomy whom- if not at home- would be in Intensive
Care instead.
You can find more information about our service here INTENSIVE CARE AT HOME
I know that doesn’t help you, given that you are in California, USA, but I just want to give you perspective of what is possible for ICU
Patients with the right support structure and more importantly with the right mindset.
Given that we do this for long-term ventilated Intensive Care Patients there is absolutely no reason why your son can’t be at home. There is also absolutely no reason why your son can’t be mobilised in a chair either, they need to do that and it’s your job to reinforce that with the staff in this subacute facility.
I can also assure you that we have worked with clients in small apartments therefore your one bedroom house might not be as big of a challenge as you think it is.
Usually if there is a will, there is a way.
Of course your 23 year old son needs to be at home, there is absolutely no doubt about this and way more is possible than you think it is, again with the right
support structure and the right mindset.
Given that I get so many enquiries from people who are in similar situations than you are, I also know that there are no similar services to mine available in the USA at this stage.
We are planning to provide services in the USA soon as well for INTENSIVE CARE AT HOME. We know that we can do better compared to hospitals/institutions that deny Patients and their families the right to go home with the right services.
Moving forward, I have a few suggestions how I can help you.
Check out the interview that I did
with a Client of mine Charlie Atkinson. He’s 80 years of age and he discharged himself home from ICU on a ventilator. Check out the interview here and you’ll get a ton of insights- click on the link here
Whilst we will not be able to
provide my service INTENSIVE CARE AT HOME where you live currently, I am certainly in a position to support you setting up your house as well as helping you to find the right support you need for bringing your son home.
The same applies for equipment, I can help you and organise with finding all the equipment you need if you are bringing your son home.
Check
out:
Again, given my experience with looking after high acuity and ventilated clients at home I can show you what you need to do
step by step.
I can also help you sourcing a service in San Diego or surroundings that can help you with looking after your son Spencer at home.
Again we can help another service by guiding them with our experience from providing INTENSIVE CARE AT HOME services.
In the meantime, you should definitely ask the subacute care facility to get your son out of bed regularly.
It’s very sad to hear that they have almost given up on him, by not trying to rehabilitate him. He’s way too young at 23 years of age to “live” in a subacute care facility.
From my perspective and also from my experience, your son could have a much improved quality of life at home when looked after by a Patient and family friendly service like INTENSIVE CARE AT HOME!
We don’t give up on people lightly and by getting people out of bed every day- just by doing that- their quality of life as well as their level of rehabilitation increases and improves!
Your and your family’s quality of life will improve too when you can finally stop going to the facility an hour away.
Imagine what it would mean for you and your son to be at home together. It’ll be by far more stimulating for him to have him in his own home when he has people around him who know and love him.
Wishing you and your family all the
best.
