I'm worried about my father, as he has several health issues that will only get worse without operations, but I don't know how far to go in my quest to maintain/claw back some quality of life for him.
He is 84, has dementia, and has been living in a care home for nearly a year. He is content there, to a point, but his appetite is poor and he's lost some weight over the last few months. He's an alcoholic and used to drink a bottle of whisky a day, but amazingly his heart, lungs and liver appear to be fairly sturdy. He has a couple of beers each day, which makes life tolerable for him.
One thing that worries me is that his mobility has got much worse lately as his hips/knees are worn out, and though operations are available the GA may worsen his dementia and he may not co-operate with the rehab required afterwards. Also, he has cataracts which seem to be getting worse - he can no longer read small print with or without his glasses. I know they don't normally offer GA for that type of op, but how would he cope with it all under a local? If I do nothing, he may be blind and bedridden in a year or so, but if I put him through operations that may all go horribly wrong too. If only I knew whether he has months or years ahead of him, it would be easier to weigh things up.
Old age/alcoholism/dementia has already taken a lot from him, so I want to stop him being robbed of anything more, if possible, but another part of me is saying "don't meddle, you might make things worse". I have asked for the optician to come out and reassess his eyes. His last test was about 9 months ago and normally they only do one free eye test a year but I've said we'll pay if needs be.
Is it worth me speaking to the GP and asking for a referral to a specialist about his legs? In my mind I wonder if his joints are getting to the point they have almost worn away and maybe the next thing will be that he falls and breaks a hip - so do I push for treatment options now, going privately if needs be for a consultation, or should I leave well alone? What would you do?
He is 84, has dementia, and has been living in a care home for nearly a year. He is content there, to a point, but his appetite is poor and he's lost some weight over the last few months. He's an alcoholic and used to drink a bottle of whisky a day, but amazingly his heart, lungs and liver appear to be fairly sturdy. He has a couple of beers each day, which makes life tolerable for him.
One thing that worries me is that his mobility has got much worse lately as his hips/knees are worn out, and though operations are available the GA may worsen his dementia and he may not co-operate with the rehab required afterwards. Also, he has cataracts which seem to be getting worse - he can no longer read small print with or without his glasses. I know they don't normally offer GA for that type of op, but how would he cope with it all under a local? If I do nothing, he may be blind and bedridden in a year or so, but if I put him through operations that may all go horribly wrong too. If only I knew whether he has months or years ahead of him, it would be easier to weigh things up.
Old age/alcoholism/dementia has already taken a lot from him, so I want to stop him being robbed of anything more, if possible, but another part of me is saying "don't meddle, you might make things worse". I have asked for the optician to come out and reassess his eyes. His last test was about 9 months ago and normally they only do one free eye test a year but I've said we'll pay if needs be.
Is it worth me speaking to the GP and asking for a referral to a specialist about his legs? In my mind I wonder if his joints are getting to the point they have almost worn away and maybe the next thing will be that he falls and breaks a hip - so do I push for treatment options now, going privately if needs be for a consultation, or should I leave well alone? What would you do?