Sunday, Jan. 22, 2006 - 7:18 a.m.

Hospitals suck

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Tarik's grandmother continues to improve and is talking and and is coherent.  We are not happy about her care though as the doctor's orders do not seem to be carried out the way he has asked.  She will not feed herself and only seems to eat if one of the staff feed her.  So what do they do?  They wheel her out into the hallway with her food and as people walk by they tell her to eat.   She is also supposed to be doing breathing exercises every day and no one assists her with those either.  Its no wonder her chances of living the next couple of months are so crappy if this is the way they approach care of their patients. My mother in law complained to her doctors and they were in agreement with her over her frustrations and asked her to log a complaint with the hospital's administration.  I don't know if its because she is old and they don't want to deal with an elderly person, or if they are just understaffed and doing all they can with the resources they have.  In any event, its undignified and seems neglectful.

It seems that with the elderly, they reach a point in their lives where they must be attended to much like an infant because they are unable to do some things for themselves.  And because hospitals are considered such unhealthy places in that you can pick up any one of a myriad of infections, and just the general melancholy that can set in from being in the hospital for so long, this could lead to an early demise.  I know just having been in the hospital for a week in '98 after my lung collapsed, that I was MISERABLE being there.  I mean really depressed, crying and whatnot.  I was practically tethered to the wall via the hose for the pump attached to the chest tube, and I could barely get to the bathroom with the allotted slack, let alone go wandering around just so I would not get cabin fever.  She is not able to really get out of her room except when they wheel her into the hallway to make her eat.  I am sure she is quite down in the dumps and I am a firm believer that mental health has as much to do with physical health as anything.  Its really frightening. 

The shunt they inserted seems to be doing its job though as that morning she was incoherent and that evening was able to answer all of the questions put to her, and answer correctly.  And she continues to improve with her injury.  At this point though, we just want her home, in the company of her family, and in comfort and warm and caring surroundings.


Song Virus du Jour:  The Muppet Show Theme


Useless Trivia du Jour:  The original Kermit the Frog's eyes were made from ping pong balls.

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