Definitely call Care Tenders and have them guide you through the processes of getting RN visits at least weekly to anticipate and prevent worsening of these and other problems. The nurse aid was great to spot and report the red spot on her sacrum and it is that spot that is going to provide the justification to Medicare/insurance to kick up her care to included home visits by an RN.
Kim, you are already feeling overwhelmed by your mom's illness and care needs so you are going to hate what I have to say. I know all of this means more work and problem solving but it is offered with the hope that you can see it as a way forward in keeping your mom comfortable and the information you need to feel you can help, not feel helpless.
Lasix will help reduce the swelling but it will mean more frequent trips to the bathroom, dehydration, higher risk for blood clots. Lasix only masks the underlying problem of poor blood flow due to loss of mobility. Swollen feet cannot be fixed by medications or even surgery. If her feet have been swollen for a long time, there is already irreversible damage to the veins that will only make them swell worse in the future, but you can prevent that! What will help requires simple measures to reduce the daily swelling; correct positioning of the legs to reduce the pressure on blood flow, correct use of a recliner, the use of a wheelchair rather than a recliner, elevating the foot of the bed not the knees, and more. Please take the time to read
http://www.alsfrombothsides.org/swelling.html
It is all the information I wish I had known before my feet, ankles, and lower legs became water balloons! They are much better now and seldom uncomfortable so relief is possible!
If the red spot on her sacrum is just a ”rug burn” from sliding down in her chair, Tegaderm or a similar dressing will help. A sheepskin mat on the back and seat of her chair will also reduce friction and the resulting shearing force injury. Odds are however, that pressure is also involved in the skin damage. That damage is deeper, painful, and cannot heal as long as the pressure is still there. If the sore is more than a superficial raw spot, it is a pressure sore.They are not called bed sores any more because they are caused by pressure, in bed or out. The pressure squashes the blood flow to the area and the layers of tissue and even muscle begin to starve and die.
So where to start? First the sore has to heal. If it is deeper than skin deep, she needs to get off her bottom all day every day until it heals. She needs at least a foam pressure relief mattress on her bed and to lie on her sides as much as possible. To get Medicare/insurance to cover the cost of a pressure relief mattress and more frequent visits by a nurse, there will need to be documentation by a nurse of the wound. A snapshot is great proof and provides a way to compare day to day to see if it is healing. When she is up again, she needs to sit on a high quality (yes, expensive but covered by Medicare/insurance) cushion. A ROHO air cushion or a gel cushion is the best. When you add the cushion to her chair, make certain that her feet can still reach to sit flat on the floor or add a low platform for them -- NOT a footstool under her ankles. Also add pillows under her elbows so that her arms are not pulling on her shoulders.
