My Loved One in a Nursing Home has Pneumonia

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My Loved One in a Nursing Home has Pneumonia
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Pneumonia in the nursing home resident

• What is pneumonia?
• Inflammation in the lung
• Usually secondary to infection

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Why is it important??

• About 15
• of nursing home residents
• are treated per year.
• Mortality 30 die,
• even with treatment.
• Residents may worsen,
• symptoms include
• decreased function,
• and increased confusion.

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Who gets Pneumonia???

• Usually nursing home residents with
• Chronic Bronchitis
• Diabetes
• Stroke
• Residents with Swallowing difficulties or on tube
  feedings
• Cancer

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What does a nursing homeresident with pneumonia
looks likeclassic symptoms

• Cough (with or with out sputum)
• Fever
• Chills
• Mental change, especially increased confusion
• Falls
• Decreased appetite

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Causes of Pneumoniabacteriaviruses
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How will the doctor or nurse practitioner
diagnose pneumonia??

• Chest X-ray
• Perhaps some blood work

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Where will the doctor or nurse practitioner
suggest that treatment be given?
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Nursing Home Treatment of Pneumonia

• Usually as effective as hospital treatment
• Usually starts with 1-2 days of shots and then
  about 7-10 days of pills.
• Oxygen

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Other Treatments of Pneumonia

• Careful nutrition
• Careful hydration

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Reasons to Hospitalize nursing home residents
with pneumoniaProlonged High PulsePoor Oxygen
LevelsSevere Underlying Heart or Lung Disease
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How will I Know When the Pneumonia is Getting
Better?

• Symptoms are Better
• NOT by X-ray- abnormal X-ray may persist for 4
  months, even when clinically better.

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Things to Remember

• Your loved one may not get entirely back to his
  or her previous normal again, even if treated
  aggressively in the hospital.

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Other treatment Decisions

• Treatment may or may not be right for everyone.
• If you are a Health Care Proxy/Durable POA agent,
  try to think from the patients point of view

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Other treatment decisions, cont.
If, 5 years ago, she could have looked forward
to see her current condition, would she have
wanted treatment in the current situation? If
so, how aggressively would she have wanted to be
treated?

• If, 5 years ago, she could have looked forward to
  see her current condition, would she have wanted
  treatment in the current situation? If so, how
  aggressively would she have wanted to be treated?

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Ending Thought
Remember, in approaching decisions about how to
treat your loved one. It is always best to try
to imagine what one would have wanted if one
could be making the decision on their own.
If you have a good idea about what one would
want, please tell it to your loved ones care
givers.

• Remember, in approaching decisions about how to
  treat your loved one, it is always best to try to
  imagine what one would have wanted if one could
  be making the decision on their own. If you have
  a good idea about what one would want, please
  tell it to your loved ones physician or nurse.