My mother is about to be released from the hospital. She resides in memory care. She experienced severe edema, swelling in her legs, especially her right leg. This turned into cellulitis, which turned into a staff infection. It seems this has really caused her a lot of decline. She is extremely weak. They say they will be releasing her and that she will need to be transported to a skilled nursing facility for continued IV antibiotic treatment. She is just so very frail now and weak. When your loved one gets to this point is it best for them to go back to memory care, or is it best for them to live out the rest of their lives in skilled nursing? Or is skilled nursing even a long-term option?
He did not respond to in hospital treatment by IV vanco drugs, and in fact contracted severe diarrhea from the treatment itself. He requested release without further treatment and with Hospice care, to his own ALF where he had two private rooms. He was allowed this release only with the permission of the facility itself and with Hospice care and the stipulation that more care would be brought in private-hire if needed. He was very close to needing 24/7 care hired in at the point he died.
Had my brother resided in the MC section of his wonderful facility he could not have returned back, as rooms there were shared, and not private, and infection control would have been too difficult.
Much of your question depends, then, upon whether or not you are recognizing that this is end of life care. If treatment to cure is expected/required, and Hospice not an option, and if there is no private rooms available, then I think this would not be an option. Skilled nursing facility (SNF) is almost certainly, then, the best option unless and until a choice is made for Hospice. Do discuss this with the facility itself.
I am wishing you the best.
Skilled Nursing to live in permanently is also an option IF her memory care ALF says they're unable to accommodate her needs any longer. And if Medicaid is approved or she can self pay.
Me, I'd go the rehab route and see how she fares. Then call for a hospice evaluation after she's back in memory care AL. Hospice offers another team of hands on care for her while she's living in her own apartment in mc. Not to mention hospital beds, wheelchairs and tons of supplies all free of charge.
Good luck to you
Post discharge from a hospital if she needs IV antibiotic treatment AND I assume she has Medicare coverage (?), the reasonable discharge is to a "rehab hospital" unit at a skilled nursing facility (or SNF). That way, Medicare will continue to provide coverage until the IV antibiotic treatment ends and potentially a bit longer depending on her circumstances. So some of this is "coverage-related" AND what she needs. At the Rehab, they have more one-on-one medical care throughout the day/night and she likely needs that level of medical care/coordination hourly that a typical memory care unit may not have irrespective of how they are licensed.
If the facility (do some research) is a Medicare and Medicaid approved SNF with a Rehab unit, ask if they also have a memory care unit on site. If all one one place, and if you need to transition her to the SNF and/or to the SNF's memory care unit then this could be fewer moves and less traumatizing to her.
Hopefully you have all the paperwork done (POA, Advanced Directive, etc, are her named Health Agent) so you can step in to make decisions as needed. Also, you may want to get with an elder care attorney licensed in your state before signing any of the admission paperwork regardless of where she eventually goes as you do NOT want to sign something that "makes you personally financially responsible" if/when, Medicare stops paying OR if she does not qualify for Medicaid if that is or is likely to become the payer for her long term nursing home coverage (PS Medicare does NOT pay for long term nursing home care). The attorney can help you navigate all of this and what may be best given her needs, her resources and the long term prognosis of where this is likely to lead. PS, the attorney should be paid from her funds, that is a permissible expenditure for later Medicaid qualification if that is needed (she has no funds, assets, resources and still require long term care/nursing home care).
Sorry you are having to deal with this. None of this is easy or fun. Hugs