Carolyn Spooner

Carolyn Spooner fell on her 87th birthday and broke her hip, the latest and worst of a series of minor/major injuries over the last few years. This time major damage was done; the resulting surgery to repair her hip was complicated by heart problems and she ended  up in ICU at HCMC in a life or death situation.  Slowly, she improved and was discharged to Augustana Nursing Care Facility, where she had spent quite a bit of time  previously with a broken arm; she had done well there and hopes were high.  But this time her recovery hasn't been easy and she has been hospitalized several times for problems related to her treatment; the general consensus among her care-givers is that it will be very difficult for her to recover from this trauma. We her family are considering  hospice care, because  in order for her insurance to pay for her continued care at Augustana she has to show improvement. If we put her in hospice the insurance will pay for that, but not her room and board at that facility, a hefty sum over time that would drain her financial resources quickly.  It was decided that we would move in the direction of doing whatever needed to be done to create a safe environment so she could be discharged to her home and receive hospice care there.  Because it's what she would want; and what makes the most sense financially. We are not giving up on her recovery, but she's not going to recover in the depressing atmosphere of the nursing home. She needs the familiar surroundings of her home and the trappings of her life back. With the help of her family (and most likely a personal care attendant) we can make this happen for her.