Swallowing Assessment
Our Doctor had a swallowing assessment done for mom. It cost us $165.00 to have some lady show up, all fermished (yiddish for mixed up, confused) as she had lost her keys. Long and short of it, is she assessed mom for about an hour, then supposedly consulted with the Doctor.
Now that is well and good, but in all honesty, not really value for my money.
I mean the one page report was a bit, well, strange. Like telling me to not give her greens, like lettuce because she would choke on it. Something she’s never done. Also to take small sips of juice, or to put her pills, one at a time, in a spoonful of yogurt.
Okay, makes sense, if her swallowing was at a sub par. I mean it is too random to be just the food or how she eats it, that makes her choke. Frankly I think she simply forgets what is already in her mouth, and that is why she suddenly chokes.
I also think that stress, worrying, is another major cause. And when she’s calm, relaxed, she can gulp that juice down, with the best of us. Seriously, she really does gulp the juice, and yet, the choking spells are a bit less.
Only thing we’ve basically followed, has been cutting out the coffee. Now maybe that had some effect, but her choking is considerably less than before the assessment.
Kind of makes me wonder, just what was worth $110 an hour? Frankly, who is worth that kind of money? And Government wonders why health care costs are so much? Geez, maybe they should look at the money they are paying for some of these tests, or assessments.
Heat, Drinking, & Dehydration
I think one of the biggest issues I have, in caring for Mom, is in getting her to do things, that she needs to do, to stay healthy.
Take the simple matter of drinking enough fluids.
I have never seen someone so stubborn, in not drinking enough fluids. I get her the kind of juices she wants, which isn’t the problem. I think, perhaps it has to do with her ability to swallow.
At times, she does choke on the smallest things, but while it is frightening, if she wants to stay healthy, she needs to drink more liquids. Especially on days when it is hot. Now, sure the house feels cool, thanks to the fans running, but it is still hot, and so she has to drink more.
One of those things, that tests one mettle, because it is frustrating as hell.
