Is scabies a reason Mom's personal care home would prevent her from going back after a doctor's appointment?

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surprise Asked May 2015

Is scabies a reason Mom's personal care home would prevent her from going back after a doctor's appointment?

I'm just suspicious that the director of the home wants her diagnosed outside the home so she won't have to make a health dept report, treat all 10 residents, plus all the staff, and do all the cleaning a legal report would require. Mthr is on hospice, which I understood to take care of all her needs from signing on forward, but the hospice nurse called asking if I could take her to a dermatologist asap. The nurse even seemed nervous. This eve the case worker and the nurse were at the home right before I showed up, so I could not talk to them in person.

When I looked at mthr's hands, arms, belly, they all looked like the photos of serious scabies. When I arrived, the aide was there, and mthr wanted to hug, but I said, No, I was not sure she was not contagious, and the aide agreed. When I looked, without touching, I said it looked like scabies to me, and the aide looked shocked.

I sent the director an email telling her what I thought it was and that I did not want to take her anywhere in my car. I thought I would talk to the nurse in the morning and see what her story is outside the home where the pressure might not be so great. Does anyone else think it's odd that hospice would want me to take her somewhere for treatment when they have said everyone would come to her in the past?

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score 1 · Answer 1

vstefans followed your link and the cream recommended seems to be a very simple treatment easily given at home or in the nursing home. I would recommend using gloves when applying to another individual. Anyone can do it themselves as long as they can reach the lesions and are not confused.

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score 1 · Answer 2

They probably won't want to put anything in writing about the scabies, true...and my vote would be to just treat for scabies if the rash is typical enough rather than require confirmation of the diagnosis by scraping. You did fine with the clothes and bedding, but if you have any lesions at all, you want to go ahead and treat it before it spreads. It is probably best for you to have a doctor visit and get the Rx treatment for yourself, though you can possibly get some things OTC that may do the trick...cdc recs are here: cdc.gov/parasites/scabies/health_professionals/meds.html and they indicate no OTC products are consistently effective enough. It is a little harder to get rid of this than head lice, but it is nothing you can't do.

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score 0 · Answer 3

Thanks Pam for the info. That is past history now. All my horses are in that big pasture in the sky these days.

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score 0 · Answer 4

And the director of the memory care has not responded to my 2 emails about this. I have had bronchitis since, so I can't talk on the phone. I don't think the director wants to admit they have scabies.

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score 0 · Answer 5

OP here. I'm not going over until I hear she is all clear. I'm almost certain it had to be a hospice worker who brought it in, unless mthr had them throughout the 2.5 years she's been a resident.

More recently, Hospice told me I would have to take her to a dermatologist for a skin scraping to confirm scabies, but without that test they could order a cream for neck to foot coverage that would kill any bugs. They were fine with me not wanting to get her in my car for the official diagnosis. I suppose that keeps the employees from having to be notified and all the employer's liability coming up. Ugh.

Unfortunately, I did take mthr's sheets home along with the clean clothes which were hanging in her closet. I placed them in sealed black plastic garbage bags to bring them home, then left in the hot sun for 3 days before I washed them. I still could have been exposed when I gathered them though I tried to be careful. I have 2 red bumps of some kind which have popped up in the week since, and I have been keeping them covered with antibiotic oil, which would not kill bugs but makes me feel like I'm doing *something*!

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score 0 · Answer 6

Veronica, get over to Agway or Tractor Supply, they have some good horse worming paste, "apple flavored" (but still yucky). Try some Tea Tree Oil horse shampoo, it keeps the flies off and it smells very nice.

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score 1 · Answer 7

Scabies is awfully itchy but should respond to treatment. Immunocompromised people can get it really, really bad though. I've caught it twice from patients I've cared for.

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score 2 · Answer 8

Scabies is extremely contagious and she needs to see a Dr. My grandson got scabies riding home from a hunting setting on the deer he just killed. Dr gave
him some soap and he was fine. But everyone needs to be treated that delt
with the patient. Not the end of the world, but who wants to delay treatment when it's a simple fix.

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score 0 · Answer 9

not to mention disinfection,fumigation what ever they do. Goodness Pam I am itching already. Had a horse come back from Cornell with round worm and we were bathing her in betadine for weeks not to mention the Gentian Violet. "No the 1/2 ounce bottle is not what I need how about a gallon

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score 2 · Answer 10

Surprise, I would be calling the county health department IMMEDIATELY to report Scabies at the facility. Scabies in humans is the same mite as Mange in dogs. Good grief do not go there! Alert Hospice!! The whole facility needs inspection and possibly quarantine!

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score 0 · Answer 11

Veronica, I did not know that. Personally, as long as I can keep my Partner at home, I will. The entire time we stayed at the Ind Care home, I felt like I was in jail. Of course we could come and go, but the strict times for meals, etc, drove me nuts... Now that I am taking care of my partner in our home, I realize how strict schedules are good for him. He always knows what comes next. I think the only way I would send him there again, would be if he did not know anything that was going on around him and did not know me. That would be a very sad day for me.

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score 0 · Answer 12

origangirl, hospice has to have a contract with a nursing home or any facility for that matter to be allowed in at all. they can only do what the facility allows them to.

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score 1 · Answer 13

We were living in a Independent Care facility because we had a fire in our home and my Partner (almost said husband), was dealing with parkinson and dementia. The family thought this would be a good time for us to check the place out. After our home was rebuilt and ready for us, we decided to go back home. THANK GOD. I could not live there any longer. The entire time we were there, I refused their help in washing any of our clothes. I allowed them to vacuum our apt, but never ever wash anything of ours. We had a washer and dryer in our apt. We had one man at the facility that came and sat with us at dinner and he was scratching all the time. We moved immediately. They do not watch this enough in these facilities. PERIOD. The facility we stayed in had Hospice coming and going and they do administer drugs. I have heard that in some states they do not. What are they for then? And, yes, they could have brought it in. How Sad...

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score 2 · Answer 14

Yes, if she contracted it there, their responsibility. See if a physical availuation, from head to foot, was done on her. If so, this should have shown up. Do the hospice nurses go to other facilities. Couldhave brought it in.

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score 2 · Answer 15

has Mom been at the facility long enough that she caught it there. if they won't allow her back and treat her appropriately report to your county and state health dept. is hospice willing to place her in a hospital while she is being trated. the care facility will have to do the necessary cleaning and disinfection anyway because other may have been infected.

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score 0 · Answer 16

Meant to say the woman brought it into the facility.

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score 2 · Answer 17

My daughter just had this where she works. Seemsthe woman had it for months. As far as I know the woman was quarentined and the dacility doctor took care of it. I'm sure they can have a dermentologist come in.

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Is scabies a reason Mom's personal care home would prevent her from going back after a doctor's appointment?

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