Healthcare Reform

When 5 cents is valued more than a Human Life.

Healthcare reform was heralded as a necessity to improve our standard of living.  Presidents have come and gone in the past decades; all with some comment or another promising to improve the Healthcare our country currently provided.  We seem to have lost sight of what is the most important facet of the Healthcare Industry.  It appears that we have lost our humanity as we build multi-billion dollar industries, all claiming to be working in our best interest. 

We were warned of the side affects of poorly trained and disheartened individuals.  This is a result due to the economic reality that individuals have begun to care more about money, than the worth of a human life or the care one could expect from a care facility.

When we become a society of working just to work and lose our pride in our occupation; the resulting effects of poor service cascade from corporate America, down to the private owned business’ that are still able to survive in a bad economy. 

We must ask ourselves as human beings…what is our true worth?  How much can I expect if I were injured and had to spend the rest of my days in a care facility unable to care for myself?  A worse scenario could also present itself if I were terminally ill, and went to a hospice facility to end out my days. 

I began years ago to notice the lack of care that health providers had regarding their patients, clients and customers.  Is this lack of concern a result of being over-regulated?  Is this, what is in store for us when the Government gets fully involved in the business of caring for our health and well being? Is this simply a pyramid of problems all cascading downhill to bury the unsuspecting individual trying to get aid?  When did we lose our humanity?  What separates us from rabid dogs fighting over a bone?  The difference lies in the fact that both dogs are able to fight for what they think they deserve.  A patient dependent on someone else; to move them, or assist them, does not have that same ability to ensure they have a fighting chance to get the help they deserve.

Whether the culprit is a large corporation with thousands of outlets and offices or an individual enterprise there is a problem of not getting what one is promised in the world of healthcare.  It is feasible for a National Corporation to advertise that they have many health care centers being awarded the National Bronze Award for their strong commitment to continuous quality improvement…not a difficult award to achieve when you have sub-standard facilities.  This is also obtainable by anyone that states we have a strong commitment; just don’t ask us to prove it. 

Integrity, Respect, Compassion, Responsiveness, Pride and Dignity are just a few of the words Health Centers use to describe their commitment.  Who is the advocate for those poor souls that have no family members, or loved ones to check on them, to see if the facility they are paying gives them the treatment that they deserve? 

Helping people live better is a statement too flippantly used by centers that really don’t care.  My Sister recently was admitted to a facility owned by a larger Corporation that has facilities all across the Nation.  My Mother and I did due diligence and visited the facility the day prior of the transfer from the Hospital from which my Sister was discharged.  We sat down with a Manager who explained the facility and how they operated; she also answered all our concerns satisfactorily.  Upon being shown the facility we became slightly concerned when we noticed a slight urine smell as we walked down the hallway to view a room.  The room appeared nice and would meet her needs as well as the rest of the facility.  As we walked back to the main entrance we expressed our concern that my Sister had with the extreme duration it took for anyone to respond to her call button at the hospital.  She experienced wait times in excess of 1 hour after pressing the assist button.  In all reality any emergency that could arise may result in death if not addressed quickly.  I will assume all centers have their own protocol as to what length of time is acceptable and humane.  I was told at this particular care facility that the hall has a light that is illuminated outside the patient’s door as well as a light at the cross section of hallways.  As we walked I noticed the light outside the door, and the one at the cross section of hallways as well as the main light board across from the main desk, yet despite the board being lit all the lights being lit and an audible alarm, no one was responding.  I half jokingly mentioned to the manager after she asked if I had any other questions by stating that I was simply curious as to how long it would take someone to respond to the call lights.  She chuckled and said, “Well, they are probably all at dinner,” we turned to leave.  I walked slowly, stopped and paused by the entrance door amazed that still no one was responding to the call.  After 5 minutes I left, hoping that someone had responded, but just didn’t turn off the lights or the annoying alarm.  My advice to my Sister will be, “Don’t have a Life Threatening Emergency during meal times”.

My Sister was transferred early the next morning and by the time my Mother was able to drive over an hour to the facility my Sister was in tears.  The room she was placed in was nothing like the room my Mother and I had been shown the day prior.  My sister was in tears because she could not sleep; her roommate kept her up and constantly complained that my Sister was taking her air.  She then needed to go to the bathroom and there was no bed pan, no wipes, and no wash cloths, nothing to help clean up.  The Nurse that came on shift that was assigned to my Sister’s room was asked by my Sister if she could help her put her leg up on to the bed, it had fallen over the side and my sister had not the strength to get it back upon the bed.  The Nurse replied very shortly, “Can’t you lift your own leg unto the bed?” My Sister asked the same Nurse for a bed pan and had her diaper undone because she had to go to the bathroom.  The Nurse simply said, “I don’t want to start my shift this way.”  She then told my sister to go in her diaper… my Sister has a bed sore on her tailbone and if she let feces into it, it would infect the open sore.  The sheets were dirty; a nice nurse came in and helped my Sister clean up. The main nurse told the subordinate nurse not to do so much for my Sister; the nice nurse stood her ground and stated that she needed it.  My Mother complained to the manager that my Sister’s roommate was very belligerent, and they started to look for another room for her.  They shortly placed her into another room with a terminally ill woman who was very quiet. 

My Sister told my Mother that morning when she arrived that she did not feel good, my Mother noticed that she looked bad, and was short of breath.  There are no doctors there, and no information is shared as to what to feed the patients.  She was given pizza for dinner and a lot of water both of which she was not supposed to have.  That breakfast they served her scrambled eggs bacon and juice, toast and jelly, all of which she was not allowed to have.  My Mother complained again about the lack of concern regarding the special diet the hospital had her on.  The response my Mother was given was that they had not the time to review the diet details.  My Mother then went to the kitchen and spoke with someone who was uncaring and rude.  She asked for some Raisin Bran and Milk and fruit for my Sister because she could not eat what was given to her.  They told my Mother that if she wanted something different then she would have to go and buy it herself.  My Mother went to the Supervisor and complained.  The supervisor said that was not true, they should have it available in the kitchen, but obviously they didn’t.  So my Mother went and bought my Sister something to eat. 

My mother was angry and upset so she went to speak to the Admitting Manager and told her what had been happening and asked if the nurses are supposed to be kinder than that? How are the people treated that don’t have family that checks on them?  The Manager said, “That is not acceptable at all.  I will send a memo out”.  My mother said, “If I have to be here every single day to make sure my daughter is taken care of, I will.”  She had to even go and ask for wash cloths because none were available. When she stood her ground about the complaint of no bed pan, they finally started to go look for a bed pan.  Eventually my Mother had to leave just before dinner.  The male nurse/order taker made a snide remark to the effect of…” do you want to come with me and check what I am doing?” to which my Mother replied yes and went with him.  He finally stated that he would make sure she got the meal.

My Mother had to leave to go to work. 

There is much to be desired in this facility.  There are old men in the lunch room straining to read a pepper package asking if it was sugar.  The same nasty nurse allowing a patient to have sugar that was not supposed to have it.  What type of people are these facilities hiring, and where is their training in how to read diet restrictions?  Not to mention simple and basic nursing and caring for patients.  Sadly this is not an isolated event, and this Corporation has hundreds of facilities all across the Nation. 

My advice to all Citizens in this Country we call America the Great, is to make plans early for your own care should you become ill or terminal.  To trust in a facility is to put your trust in an entity that cares not for your welfare or comfort, but merely for their bottom line to the shareholders.  We have sadly become the United States of Apathy.

~~A Caring Brother

 A member of a dying breed of humans that care for the treatment of others.

~Leland Vance