Is moving my husband home after his stroke a good idea, or will he lose all the progress he made in the nursing facility?

A fellow caregiver asked...

My 73 year old husband had a stroke in Feb of this year. He was in ICU for 3 weeks and went to a nursing facility for rehab. Insurance has ran out so far as room and board, he has state medicaid, but the therapy is almost at a standstill. He has a stomach feeding tube. Supposedly temporary as soon as his swallow strength is good, he will be able to eat. He is totally dependent on a wheelchair and non-ambulatory. He wants to come home and I want him to, I have 2 sons and a daughter to help at home. My question is how do I know that this is the right move without causing him to go backward instead of progressing as much as he has in the past 5 months? Am I being scared for no reason? What if he isn't happy at home not being able to do for himself as he has always done? Any suggestions?

Expert Answer

James Castle, M.D. is a neurologist at NorthShore University HealthSystem (affiliated with The University of Chicago) and an expert on strokes.

If he really wants to come home, he probably has a good reason (i.e., he is not getting along with the staff and other residents at the nursing home). I would try your best to help him with this. The easiest way to go about doing this is to ask his physical and occupational therapists how much assistance he would need at home (24 hour nursing care, daytime nursing care, etc.) and work with the social worker either at his current nursing home or at the hospital wher his primary care doctor works, to help arrange such coverage. Please don't overly burden yourself with managing his 24/7 needs - this, in my experience, only leads to severe burn-out and resentment.

If the above is not a feasible option, then consider moving him into a different nursing facility. There are often many different options in every region, and you might find one that fits his needs much better than his current situation.

Good luck!!