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Acknowledgment of Disclosures and Authorization
By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington. Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services. APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid. We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour. APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment. You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints. Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights. APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.I agree that: A.I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information"). B.APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink. C.APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site. D.If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records. E.This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year. F.You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
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Mostly Independent
Your loved one may not require home care or assisted living services at this time. However, continue to monitor their condition for changes and consider occasional in-home care services for help as needed.
Remember, this assessment is not a substitute for professional advice.
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Hi, new here, My husband has dementia, he has had it a while. One of the current problems we are having is his cough. It usually starts with drinking and worse eating any suggestions?
This is a question for his doctor who would be able to get more information from you and do a physical exam and maybe even imaging. A cough is a symptom, and a very generic, common one. There are too many things which can cause it, like swallowing problems (dysphagia).
Not to scare you but to me it sounds like your husband's food and drink are now going into his lungs causing him to aspirate both and cough. This is a very serious issue and you need to get him to his doctor or the hospital today, as most people don't survive aspiration pneumonia. My late husband too would cough after eating and drinking, and I finally realized that something was not right and called 911 and had him transported to the ER, where it was discovered that he had aspiration pneumonia and was told that he wouldn't make it through the night. The ER doctor shared with me that because my husband had dementia that his brain was forgetting to tell his throat to close thus allowing his food and drink to go into his lungs. Now in my husbands case, he did survive but ended up with sepsis and septic shock and completely bedridden until he died 22 months later in our home. I had to puree all his foods and thicken his drinks with the product Thick It going forward to try and prevent his food and drink going back into his lungs. So PLEASE take this issue seriously!
This sounds like he is starting to aspirate fluids and some solids. You may have to begin thickening all liquids and mincing solid foods. Aspiration can be deadly. It can lead to what is called Aspiration Pneumonia. There are products that will thicken liquids. A little will thicken it so a cup of coffee or juice is as thick as nectar and adding more you can thicken that liquid so it is as thick as oatmeal or pudding. You can talk to his doctor about it. They may have you schedule him for a "swallow test" and then they will show you how to thicken things that need to be thickened. I will caution you about any what I call "slippery" foods. Things like peaches, nectarine, oranges can slide down the "wrong way" very easily. Also solid things that turn to liquid should also be monitored so no ice cream, popsicles, jello as they can be aspirated easily.
Check with his doctor about the medicines he takes. Beta blockers and ACE inhibitors can cause a cough.
Please call hospice for an evaluation. Hospice will provide help to you as well as husband. My husband is in a facility and in hospice care. He has swallowing problems, and they cause him to cough. There are breathing treatments that aides administer after his coughing episodes. He recently aspirated and had aspiration pneumonia; antibiotics prescribed by the hospice doctor cleared it up.
I'm relating this because you need to know that in hospice care, options are available (they don't just let them die like some people think). It was totally my call if he should receive antibiotics. I am very grateful that within days he was restored to the quality of life that he still has - enjoying visitors, interacting with his aides, and sitting in the sunshine.
By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington.
Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services.
APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid.
We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour.
APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment.
You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints.
Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights.
APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.
I agree that:
A.
I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information").
B.
APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink.
C.
APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site.
D.
If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records.
E.
This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year.
F.
You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
My late husband too would cough after eating and drinking, and I finally realized that something was not right and called 911 and had him transported to the ER, where it was discovered that he had aspiration pneumonia and was told that he wouldn't make it through the night. The ER doctor shared with me that because my husband had dementia that his brain was forgetting to tell his throat to close thus allowing his food and drink to go into his lungs.
Now in my husbands case, he did survive but ended up with sepsis and septic shock and completely bedridden until he died 22 months later in our home.
I had to puree all his foods and thicken his drinks with the product Thick It going forward to try and prevent his food and drink going back into his lungs.
So PLEASE take this issue seriously!
You may have to begin thickening all liquids and mincing solid foods.
Aspiration can be deadly. It can lead to what is called Aspiration Pneumonia.
There are products that will thicken liquids. A little will thicken it so a cup of coffee or juice is as thick as nectar and adding more you can thicken that liquid so it is as thick as oatmeal or pudding.
You can talk to his doctor about it. They may have you schedule him for a "swallow test" and then they will show you how to thicken things that need to be thickened.
I will caution you about any what I call "slippery" foods. Things like peaches, nectarine, oranges can slide down the "wrong way" very easily. Also solid things that turn to liquid should also be monitored so no ice cream, popsicles, jello as they can be aspirated easily.
Please call hospice for an evaluation. Hospice will provide help to you as well as husband. My husband is in a facility and in hospice care. He has swallowing problems, and they cause him to cough. There are breathing treatments that aides administer after his coughing episodes. He recently aspirated and had aspiration pneumonia; antibiotics prescribed by the hospice doctor cleared it up.
I'm relating this because you need to know that in hospice care, options are available (they don't just let them die like some people think). It was totally my call if he should receive antibiotics. I am very grateful that within days he was restored to the quality of life that he still has - enjoying visitors, interacting with his aides, and sitting in the sunshine.