Posted on 10/11/2006 4:52:31 AM PDT by bd476
From the article: "Basic hygiene can keep it in check."
Unfortunately neglect is also happening here in the USA, although to a lesser extent.
Hospitals, long term care facilities, rehabilitation centers and hospices are cutting back on staff to increase profits.
There is a hospice which has been relying upon unlicensed volunteers to give basic patient care up to and including bedpan changing, catheter checks, feeding, bathing and even some rudimentary rehab.
Many critical care hospitals have been running on stringent budgets, increasing shift hours to 12 and nurse patient ratios to the point where decent patient care has been given a back seat to the bottom line.
One remedy is to keep your relatives close and be an advocate for them if the situation arises. Prepare to become a 24 hour volunteer and ask the nursing staff for pointers.
It often takes extraordinary effort, but you may be the only hope your hospitalized relative has to survive or at least to die with some dignity.
If hospital staff see you at your loved one's bedside day and night, you can bet they will not neglect their duties, especially if you play the squeaky wheel routine consistently.
I had read recently (I ain't got a life), that something like 70 percent of folks die in their bed... peacefully... while asleep.
Don't know how true.
This article reads like the daughter should have taken a more aggressive role, as in doing the demanding work in caring for her mother... if for no other reason than her mother's comfort.
I'm not one to judge the daughter. She wasn't a trained professional. My only hope is that others will have dignity in their last days. Maybe someone has learned a lesson here.
Government does a lousy job...is this really news? This is what "single payer" health care would be like in the USA, only much worse because we have so many more people.
In the end, your family will have to take the responsibility for your care, or not.
Anything is possible, but 'tween you and me, DJF? I think that's an insurance company PR slogan.
djf wrote: "(I ain't got a life)"
LOL, seems like all I do is read, read, read and read some more.
When someone from our family is in the hospital, there is a family member there almost 24/7 to take care of the 'light work'.
It not only takes some of the load off the nursing staff, but when we do call a nurse or aide in, they seem more likely to respond quickly.
You don't challenge the Nanny State care when you are told that the Socialist system will take care of you and you need not worry.
I do think that the nanny state has left the family just standing around. I did personal care for my mother when she was in hospice and felt blessed to be able to do it for her.
Carolyn
Clostridium difficile-related diarrhea and colitis are common health problems, especially in elderly, frail hospitalized patients. MRSA is a Staph infection,In patients who are otherwise well the organisms often disappear once the patient leaves the hospital. Problem is this woman didnt leave.
Hospitals kill people.
Its bad enough to have to go to a hospital to begin with, but hospitals that arent kept clean and sanitised are full of organisms that people didnt have when they went in. This lady contracted what killed her while in the hospital. She didnt go in with either disease. The hospitals refusal to clean her up and their letting her lie in her filth creates a situation where whoever goes in that room behind her is likely to die the same way.
Staph infections are contagious, her daughter and the nurses could get infected also. It isnt even safe to visit.
The situation isnt as bad in this country, because of insurance and Americans insistance that they get what the insurance company is paying for., and that is a clean environment. Let Hillary care come in and this Free Government health plan will be as bad or worse than what this poor lady had to endure.
That was also my initial impression. When my Dad was in a 24 hour hospice with unlimited visiting hours, I was surprised that the place wasn't hopping day and night with visitors. I assumed that most people were at their jobs.
While I was very focused on my Dad in trying to attend to his needs, I went on quick runs to get a nurse when some of the more alone patients called out as I walked down the hall.
Because of HIPAA and State regulated laws, I could not enter another patient's room unless the patient asked specifically for me to enter. Many patients were in need of medical help, some needed company, just to have someone in the room with them, listen to them, give them a smile.
Unfortunately the hardened worn out nurses responded with comments which won't be found in any codebook of ethics. There were times when I had to raise my voice to be heard above their chitchat sessions and computer game playing at the nurses' stations.
Gallows humor was one thing but some of the worst nurses had outright contempt for the patients and openly showed disdain and condescension towards the patients while attending to their needs.
Another factor is the manner of work. Nurses are overworked, and have jobs that most of us would never do. It is hard, dirty physical work. In addition they are treated poorly by patients and families who can be nasty and overly demanding, and are held accountable to managers for how much time is spent per pt, etc. Then there is she liscensing boards, and the consant fear of loosing your liscense or job for one med mistake.
Sound like a job you are rushing to train for? That's why there is a nursing shortage!
Perhaps they should outsource to Mexico the jobs that the English won't do.
Yes it is safe to visit. I have worked in hospitals for years, and so has my husband. You do get colonized with some nasty bugs, but they rarely cause infection unless you are debilitated in some way. It is the already ill, debilitated patients that are vulnerable to the nasty infections
In addition, you do not need to go to the hospital anymore. We are seeing a lot of MRSA in the community now, which was never true before.
So don't hesitate to visit sick relatives in the hospital, just practice good handwashing. If you are debilitated for some reason (cancer, aids, etc) maybe you should visit them when they get home.
What you said is exactly true, bd. Family members have to watch over their loved ones while they are in the care of an institution. I think that has always been true.
Waiting on the government to get around to helping a loved one while you watch them suffer...that is insane. If nothing else these folks could have brought her home and hired some private nurses to keep her clean and comfortable as she died. I don't think folks accustomed/conditioned to socialism think outside the box. They do not see their personal responsibility, power and options.
>some of the worst nurses had outright contempt for the patients and openly showed disdain and condescension towards the patients while attending to their needs.<
I've seen that at nursing homes. I realize people get jaded, but when a nurse becomes nasty and verbally abusive, he or she needs to be in some other type of work.
Not standing up for the nhs but why didn't the family clean up, feed the woman or take her home?
This is happening here already but fortunately not to the extent it is occuring in the UK."In the end, your family will have to take the responsibility for your care, or not."
Yes and in many cases it will be ... skilled in medical care or not.
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