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Worried about my roommate.

So one of my roommates is 86 years old and has lung cancer. She refuses surgery or chemo and is probably too old anyway. She's been saying that she has been coughing more lately and she is fine with it being almost her time to die.
I don't even know why I am posting this really. She has 2 kids who do not want her living with them. They put her in a nursing home for awhile and she was abused and refuses to go back.
She's very mobile and drives, cleans the house, takes the big trash can to the road, does a lot of stuff. She just wants to feel useful- it's important to her.
She's become like a mother to me because all of my own family is already late.
I have had several friends die from lung cancer and they all lived for years after being diagnosed, so I know she can still possibly hang around for several more years.
I guess I am worried about coming home and finding her dead in her room some day, hopefully not for many years. If that happens, who do I call? Ambulance? Police? Her kids obviously. Do people who are dying know when it's time for hospice? She's on Medicare so I am assuming she will want to die at my house, which kinda gives me the heebie jeebies but I want her to be comfortable and in familiar surroundings.
Like I said, she's very healthy other than the cancer and drives and takes care of herself fine and seems many years younger. But I don't know anything about lung cancer so I don't know what's ahead of me and am hoping that I don't find her dead some day in her room.
robb65 · 56-60, M
If she were to be on Hospice then you call Hospice, they come out and confirm she's actually dead, then arrange for someone to come remove the body. If she's not on Hospice (or some other similar program) then I suppose the first call should be 911. I would assume she's already signed a DNR thing, but you should really talk this over with her to be sure what she has in mind.

My somewhat limited experience with Hospice is that the Drs. line it up when the patient is considered terminal. They come out once a week or so at first to check vitals and be sure the patient has everything they need. As the situation progresses they come out more frequently. We just went through this, and the last week they were there every day except weekend and they would have sent someone over the weekend but we figured there was no point and having a different nurse might have upset or confused him.
Picklebobble2 · 56-60, M
I can understand your concern.
If you're on good terms maybe it would be a useful conversation to have 'in case of emergency'.

You could give her your details for the same reason if situation reversed.

That way it just sounds like neighbours letting each other know what to do in case the worst should happen.
Mardrae · F
@Picklebobble2 good idea 👍🏻
akindheart · 61-69, F
you should call an ambulance. they will alert the police. my brother went through that. his wife had COPD. she only had 2% lung capacity when she had a massive heart attack. he found her dead on the floor. he called the ambulance and the police grilled him, really grilled him.
Mardrae · F
@akindheart oh wow-how scary

 
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