Yet Another Change of Plan

I learned last night that my former mother-in-law has had a C-dif relapse. This means she is back in isolation at the skilled nursing facility. It also means she is likely ‘colonized’ with the infection. Due to her age and dementia, aggressive therapies (fecal transplants) are not appropriate for Jane, so now other plans are being made for her care. Possibly a family care home that can handle chronic C-dif, or a different skilled nursing facility closer to us.

The reason she can’t shake this infection, and let this be a warning, is due to years of taking antibiotics incorrectly. Recall that Jane is medication-phobic, and perceives that she suffers from any medication’s side effects, all of the side effects. Any antibiotic she was prescribed for any infection (mostly UTIs) was never finished, causing that infection to become resistant to that particular antibiotic, and may times allowing the infection to return. Her aversion to medication is what did this to her, and she is now in quite a pickle. Fast moving dementia aside, this is not where Jane wanted to be in her twilight years. It’s not where any of us want to be. Not to belabor the point, but if not for this quirk, she would either be fighting us to stay in her home, or have made the transition to a beautifully appointed, brand new, AL community, with the ability to: participate in activities (or not), have her own belongings with her, socialize (or not), go on outings to restaurants, museums, and theater, attend lectures, take art classes, play cards, engage in any number of exercise classes, listen to guest musicians, participate in group music activities (or not). I could keep going. None of this, or very little of it, is now available to her because she was averse to taking medication. Let that sink in. It’s a tragedy to have lived so well for so long, and end up in isolation. Another heartbreak.