home ventilator help

March 27, 2004, 09:27 AM

i have a 45 yr old sister that is a paraplegic. she is in the hospital presently using a vent at night. the hospital has talked with us about sending her home on a homevent she would use when sleeping. but now they are telling us we would need 24 hr help in the home or she would have to go to a skilled hursing home.. My sister is competent and is trainable. Why would it be necessary to have someone with her 24 hrs "just in case" something went wrong. They are talking like they would not release her to her home unless this happens. She does not an elderly mother that lives there also but could not be responsible for her care. Up to this point she had always been independent in her care and is still able to take care of her own needs. I would appreciate any advice or opinions available. Especially would like to hear from someone who is also dealing with this.need help

March 30, 2004, 02:36 PM

light

Dendez,
A lot of time they would like at least one person in the home that can help with the vent if for some reason your sister was unable too. When vents go home they are not sent home with a person that is home alone on a regular basis. They need someone there to help if they need it, it might take sometime for a Home health employee to make it to her residence to help her. If she lived with someone we could train the other person along with your sister in vent care. This is atleast how I have seen it around me.

Light

April 02, 2005, 04:30 PM

josepht

I have forty hours of nursing a week. I am seventeen-years-old; so I love at home still. My parents take care of the vent at night.

Vent and trach care is, for the most part, quite easy. As long as your sister is off the vent during the day, I would think she would be fine alone. (Well, she should be fine alone *if* her trach cuff can be deflated all day. I wouldn't leave her alone with her cuff inflated because the trach could plug and she would suffocate if she couldn't remove the trach herself.) If she can use her upper airway to breathe naturally during the day, only using the vent at night, I would think nursing would only be needed at night.

November 26, 2005, 01:17 PM

<Dolores>

quote:
Originally posted by dendez:
i have a 45 yr old sister that is a paraplegic. she is in the hospital presently using a vent at night. the hospital has talked with us about sending her home on a homevent she would use when sleeping. but now they are telling us we would need 24 hr help in the home or she would have to go to a skilled hursing home.. My sister is competent and is trainable. Why would it be necessary to have someone with her 24 hrs "just in case" something went wrong. They are talking like they would not release her to her home unless this happens. She does not an elderly mother that lives there also but could not be responsible for her care. Up to this point she had always been independent in her care and is still able to take care of her own needs. I would appreciate any advice or opinions available. Especially would like to hear from someone who is also dealing with this.