Prayer request for elderly Aunt, especially with Christmas approaching

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M

Miri

Guest
#1
#1
Hi folks, first I just want to give thanks to God for miraculously saving the
life of my Aunt who is 80. I care for her at our home but also work part time.

The testimony for that can be found here.

http://christianchat.com/testimonies/126117-miraculous-healing-80-year-old.html


To date she is still in hospital, it has been 7 weeks now pretty much bed bound
for the whole period, so her muscles are getting weaker and she now needs physio
to get her moving again.

She is physically ready to come home apart from the lack of mobility mentioned above.

Mentally she has a few problems, she acquired a water infection 3 weeks ago
and between that and the strong IV antibiotics, she has had problems with delirium and
hallucinations and is still confused with all of this.

I have had several meetings with the physios and occupational therapists at the hospital.
Also with adult social services and between them they are trying to put in place a
care plan where carers come in to our house 4 times a day. Especially important when
I am at work part time. It will also mean I don't have to worry about leaving the house
to do other things like going to church going shopping etc.

The occupational therapist visited today and is going to order a hospital style bed for
her free of charge at our home plus water proof mattress. Great answer to prayer!:)

However until the bed is delivered and the care plan is put in place, she cannot come home.
I have been told the care plan could take weeks, or even months to implement. The funding
for it has to be approved by the Local Authority plus then a care company, which has the
available staff and times, has to be found.

I really want my Aunt to be home for Christmas, otherwise it means Christmas day for both
of us will be spent at the hospital - not a very nice prospect.

Also I do not have a car and on Christmas Eve the buses usually stop running at 6pm and
they do not run on Christmas Day. So that would mean a 2.5 mile walk each way there and
back to the hospital.

I don't mind the walking so much as I can manage that. Its just the prospect of having to
trail back and forth in bad weather and spend, what should be a family time at the hospital.

So please could you pray for us that everything will come together, the bed, the care plan,
for the confusion to be lifted in the name of Jesus, for my Aunt to get stronger etc.

Thank you
 
levi85

levi85

Senior Member
#2
Jul 2, 2013
8,578
2,180
113
#2
Lord bles the Aunt and this matter. We thank you and praise you. Let you continue to heal her and bless. In Jesus name, Amen!
 
C

crmvet

Senior Member
#3
Jul 4, 2013
4,645
1,229
113
#3
Isaiah 53:5
 
J

James4redemption

Guest
#4
#4
Praying for you and your aunt Miri
 
mochi

mochi

Senior Member
#5
May 26, 2015
923
38
28
#5
Praying for both of you Miri.. Praying that everything will be ok.. God is our provider..

Philipian 4:19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

God bless you :)
 
S

skylove7

Guest
#6
#6
Lifting your aunt up in prayer dearest Miri.
We love you sister!
God loves you so much.
I will keep you and aunt in my prayers.
Amen
 
S

skylove7

Guest
#7
#7
Dear Lord
Please heal Miris aunt as she wants to be home for Christmas. Give Miri blessings today. In Your love and power.
Love You Jesus
Love you Miri
 
I

iveseenworse

Guest
#8
#8
i pray healing for your aunt. i pray enough things work out before the holiday to avoid complications. i thank God for your selfless efforts and giving at this time of anothers need.
 
M

Miri

Guest
#9
#9
Well my Aunt is still in hospital waiting for a care plan to be put in place
for when she comes home. So continued prayers would be appreciated.

In the meantime I just wanted to give thanks for an amazing blessing
from God

While in hospital they have realised that when she lays flat or slumps in bed
her oxygen levels drop, leading to tiredness, confusion and her carbon
dioxide levels increase.

So yesterday the NHS equipment services delivered a hospital style bed and
hospital style mattress to our home free of charge. It's on loan for as long
as we need it. The bed can be raised or lowered, the head and the base can
be raised or lowered and it can also be tilted.

This means she can be propped up in bed and properly supported. The delivery
driver told me the cost depending on bed type is £4000 - £5000!

If she had come home earlier this problem might have been missed and
the bed not provided.

I just felt it was important to post this, as God knows best and while
we want everything now! God's timing is perfect. Our prayers have
been heard and will be answered, sometimes though delays are because
God wants to do even more than we have prayed for! :)
 
D

Depleted

Guest
#10
#10
I've come to the opinion that spending Christmas in the hospital with family is a good thing. Christmas is a time to spend with family, and family is home, so that hospital is home because of it. Also, better to spend Christmas in the hospital with her, than Christmas without her, right? (A nurse gave me that pity look and said, "I guess you're not having Christmas this year." I pointed to the Christmas ornaments on the bulletin board in his room and laughed. "Yes. We are.")

That said, I'm still thinking how to get you there without the walk. How many people in your church are going to nearby families on Christmas? Why not ask them if they can give you a ride on the way or the way home? 2.5 miles is a huge walk, but it's a very short ride! It's not a huge imposition. It's a small one. And, oh nutty one, (see my response to your testimony to find out why I too think you're a nut, even though that's a good thing lol), you give the opportunity to others to do a Christianly thing for God and you on Christmas.

Also, on a kind of selfish side, got a question for you. Did the therapist give any indication about how long it will take her to recover her physical abilities enough to go home? I got my first call telling me John's going to have to get therapy, (which I already knew, but loved the call because that means they're expecting him to make it far enough to need it), but he's still behind your aunt far enough that no one is talking about that in great detail yet. I know he'll need a bed downstairs, so surmised a portable commode too.

Also, he'll need a way to bathe down here, but I got that covered too. (Just telling you to give you ideas.) They have blow up bath tubs, but John is too big for that, and it's not much different than a kiddie pool, so I can see him splashing the water all over the floor getting in or out. But we have a huge plastic storage bin that he can either stand in or dip his feet in while sitting on the bed. (We've used it for bathing before, so I know it works.) Then all I'd have to do is empty it, one bucket at a time. (No rush, so not like I have to empty it in 2.5 seconds. lol) Another idea to get your aunt home ASAP.

Also, if the delay with the bed is what's holding her up to stay in the hospital, maybe you'll be interested in my plan for you two. No one is offering a hospital bed for John, (which is a good thing, because our house is small and I'd have no place to put his sofa, if I didn't have room where his bed is now. lol) So, I'm going to contact our would-be church to get some able-bodied people here to make the switch. (His sofa for his bed.) And then, when he's able to go upstairs to go to bed, then have them come back and reverse it again. Can you do the same thing?
 
D

Depleted

Guest
#11
#11
Miri said:
Well my Aunt is still in hospital waiting for a care plan to be put in place
for when she comes home. So continued prayers would be appreciated.

In the meantime I just wanted to give thanks for an amazing blessing
from God

While in hospital they have realised that when she lays flat or slumps in bed
her oxygen levels drop, leading to tiredness, confusion and her carbon
dioxide levels increase.

So yesterday the NHS equipment services delivered a hospital style bed and
hospital style mattress to our home free of charge. It's on loan for as long
as we need it. The bed can be raised or lowered, the head and the base can
be raised or lowered and it can also be tilted.

This means she can be propped up in bed and properly supported. The delivery
driver told me the cost depending on bed type is £4000 - £5000!

If she had come home earlier this problem might have been missed and
the bed not provided.

I just felt it was important to post this, as God knows best and while
we want everything now! God's timing is perfect. Our prayers have
been heard and will be answered, sometimes though delays are because
God wants to do even more than we have prayed for! :)
Click to expand...
Um, praise God and never mind about the bed question I just asked. Once again, God had a better plan than I do. lol
 
M

Miri

Guest
#12
#12
Hi Lynn.

Unfortunately due to my Aunts age we have needed help at home for a
while but she was resistant to the idea. So I've pretty much done everything
for her, including taking care of all her personal needs. I wash her down
when needed with her sitting on the bed, it's easier than you might think.
We also have a wet floor shower when she is able to get in it.

We have a downstairs toilet but she can't often control things and so
has pads for that.

Its been hard going being there for her 24/7 plus worrying about her
when I am at work 3 days a week.

She had a fall in July and fractured her left shoulder which made things worse.
I contacted adult social services to ask about help but they said they were taking at
least 3 months to assess people. So I arranged for some private care in the meantime
which we had to pay for.

The current problem has brought her needs to the forefront and so adult social
services need to put arrangements in place before she can come home.
They are looking at getting carers in 4 times a day, I couldn't pay for all that
privately, but they will implement this almost free of charge. There will just be
a nominal fee to pay.

It's taking a while to get all this set up.

Re the walking to hospital on Christmas Day, it's a distance but I can manage it.
At least I won't be putting on any weight on over Christmas. Lol.
 
D

Depleted

Guest
#13
#13
I can manage 5 miles in two trips too. I just know how dog-tired my feet and legs will be when I get home. (And let's not get into how often, I'd be looking for a place to sit along the way. lol) 2.5 miles? Easily doable. That's why I was thinking just getting someone to take you one way.

(Also, I worry you might have to deal with snow or rain on that walk. That makes it feel twice as long.)

"Almost free." I love those words. (Still immensely thrilled none of this hospital stay is costing us a penny. lol)
 
M

Miri

Guest
#14
#14
Hi I forgot about the rehab question. She was bed bound for
7 weeks, that's a long time for an 80 year old.
But the last couple of weeks she has been getting in and out of bed
herself and sitting in the bed side chair. Also getting on and off the
commode herself.

Im sure once John has recovered sufficiently to get a bit mobile, that
he will get along quicker than you might expect. Muscles get weakened
with long stays in bed but it doesn't take long to get moving
again.
 
M

Miri

Guest
#15
#15
An answer to prayer, a family member who wasn't expecting to be
available on Christmas Day, can now give me a lift to the hospital
woop, woop :)
 
D

Depleted

Guest
#16
#16
Miri said:
An answer to prayer, a family member who wasn't expecting to be
available on Christmas Day, can now give me a lift to the hospital
woop, woop :)
Click to expand...
Orrrrr, you can wait around until God finds a way to give you a lift. lol

You know this means you can take more junk that day. (I'm trying to figure out when to bring John's presents, so "how much junk?" has become a primary question to me.)
 
M

Miri

Guest
#17
#17
I've got it sorted, here is my list:-

1) several pressies all wrapped ready to be opened.
2) various cards we have received
3) A bright red disposal table cloth to cover up the bedside tray lol.
4) My Bose speaker, iPhone, and a downloaded Christmas album for
some festive music
5) Some crackers hopefully containing paper hats!
6) A packed lunch for me!
7) Some bottles of lemonade
8) a partridge in a pear tree (just seeing if you are awake :))
 
Joidevivre

Joidevivre

Senior Member
#18
Jul 15, 2014
3,838
271
83
#18
could you take her some fragrant oils - lavender is calming - weighs next to nothing. A little expensive, but a drop can be put on her pillowcase, her temples and especially the bottom of her feet.
 
M

Miri

Guest
#19
#19
Joidevivre said:
could you take her some fragrant oils - lavender is calming - weighs next to nothing. A little expensive, but a drop can be put on her pillowcase, her temples and especially the bottom of her feet.
Click to expand...

One of of presents I have got for her is a pack of lavender scented mini pillows. There are
really for putting in cupboards wardrobes etc. But I thought she could put them next to her.
A bottle of oil might get spilt or broken - they say great minds think alike :)
 
D

Depleted

Guest
#20
#20
Miri said:
I've got it sorted, here is my list:-

1) several pressies all wrapped ready to be opened.
2) various cards we have received
3) A bright red disposal table cloth to cover up the bedside tray lol.
4) My Bose speaker, iPhone, and a downloaded Christmas album for
some festive music
5) Some crackers hopefully containing paper hats!
6) A packed lunch for me!
7) Some bottles of lemonade
8) a partridge in a pear tree (just seeing if you are awake :))
Click to expand...
My grandmother sometimes chose buying an apple tree for Christmas, instead of a pine. She'd have two ornaments on the apple tree -- a bow and a partridge. (Hey, too far north to have a pear tree back then, and the tree was real and ready for planting in the spring. lol)

Naive American question again -- what's a cracker? (Assuming you aren't doing firecrackers in the hospital. lol)
 
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