Hospital Neglect: Bypassing The Mentally Ill

jaye-irons (41)in #health • 7 years ago (edited)

It's basically why a lot of people dread winding up in the hospital for a long-time stay. It's not like people are purposely shacking up to live in a institution such as that (despite the fact that someone homeless may go there just to sit in the lobby area on a cold winter day trying to keep warm), no I'm talking about those who are very sick, and are diagnosed with a serious illness, or someone who is mentally ill and can't understand much of what is taking place around them.

Depending on the staffers' demeanor at these Hospital Institutions, can land a patient into harm's way.

Patient Neglect has to be one of the MOST sinister crimes to demonstrate against the sick, the nurses, and primary care physicians, do NOT always have the best intentions in mind to help those in need. Some of them only see it as a time-factor thinking that their time is being wasted taking care of patients (particularly the elderly), and could give a rat's ass whether or not if the patient is truly left in an optimal state before they leave the room to check on other patients either in the opposite rooms across the way, or adjacent rooms on that particular floor sector.

I've experienced it first hand however I wasn't the one sick you see, it was my Father who was. My Father was always a very healthy man, but in his later years he succumbed to illness (he was diagnosed with Dementia), to the point where he needed medical advice from his primary care doctor. He would have to undergo muscle re-development exercises due to his deteriorating physical strength and stature (he literally shank 4 inches off of his height over a 2-year period. I believe his condition was worsened due to another illness which really took it's toll on him.)

And it was that one day, I paid him a visit at his hospital room, and I walked in saying hello to him, he told me that he was ringing for the nurse for over half an hour without any response. I immediately grew angry after he told me he needed for someone to help him out of bed so he could go to the bathroom. I told him to hold on a minute, and I went into the surrounding cubicle area where the nurses were sitting at. I questioned them about the unanswered calls my Father had placed each time he buzzed for assistance, one of the nurses told me that a nurse was assigned to him and that she still had 3 hours of her shift to complete. And she said that she would personally send her to my Father's room in a few minutes (I went back into the room, sat and waited for the nurse to enter.)

When the nurse arrived, she walked in and said with a nonchalant voice and a bad demeanor..

"What's the problem?"

I quickly stood up and said from there..

"The problem is that he's been ringing for assistance for help to get out of his bed to use the bathroom. And I asked the nurse in the information area who was taking care of him, and she told me you were the one."

"Who are you." (she asks).

I'M HIS SON. That's who."

"Do me a favor and make sure that he gets assistance this point on, because if NOT I will be contacting the head manager of this facility and will report the situation to him or her."

"Are we clear?"

(She rolled her eyes) "Yeah!"

I didn't care if she was mad as hell or not because if it was her Mother or Father in the same situation, I'm pretty damn sure she would be irate. Soon it's going to be 7 years, since I last saw my Father alive, he died in March of 2011, he was a great Father, despite the fact that we did have our differences, he was an AWESOME INDIVIDUAL. So in his last days I only wanted for him to be respected, and loved by his family for whatever time he had left.

We all want that for our parents, our loved ones. EVERYONE DESERVES THAT RIGHT!

And just like my Father experienced mistreatment from the staff where he had his room on the 6th floor at a well-known hospital in Indiana (sorry I can't give out the name of the facility, NOT all staffer are non-caring, but you will come across a few bad apples here and there), comes the main focus of the story about a young lady by the name of Rebecca, whose mom discovered that her daughter was released from the hospital she was staying at, kicked out onto the streets as she wandered around the bus stop area on a VERY COLD 30-degree day.

The young lady's mother stated that people believed the worst about Rebecca, they thought about everything in the book to label her as, and DIDN'T REALIZE THAT THE YOUNG LADY WAS ACTUALLY SUFFERING FROM MENTAL ILLNESS. A witness decided to shoot a video of her -- NOT to make fun of her, but rather show how BOGUS the facility was for releasing her out into the EXTREME COLD ELEMENT WEARING ONLY A HOSPITAL NIGHT GOWN, AND WAS ONLY WEARING THICK SOCKS ON HER FEET.

I'm just hoping whoever was in charge of the watch for her and any other patients that day -- WAS FIRED DUE TO EXTREME NEGLENCE AND CARELESSNESS!

So you see, this is what I was referring to when you have patients in need, and the hospital staff doesn't give a two s**ts about their well-being.

Hell, I even saw one video were a Veteran who served in the military, was trying to alert the nurses for help, while they taunted and laughed at him, as if his life didn't matter whatsoever. The guy might not have being showing any signs of mental digression, but IT DOESN'T MATTER, because he was still a victim of patient neglect, AND IT COSTED HIM HIS LIFE!

I see why people like my Father or anyone else who is sick in need of assistance, HATE to wind up in the hospital in fear of their safety! Worse yet, someone who is mentally ill, who couldn't possibly realize they are about to get evicted (NOT EVEN BOTHERING HELPING THEM TO AT LEAST GET IN CONTACT WITH FAMILY OR FRIENDS), from a facility that is supposed to help keep them safe.