Hospital Care I don't get this

[Marty]

When my mom was in the hospital for surgery, (nothing major) some 50+ miles away they expected me to stay there and move in 24-7 and feed her and help with her.

Sure I wanted to, but at the time I had two babies and this was not an option.

Apparently they were short handed on volunteers or nursing staff, so I thought.

However, after the first two days I visited, I found out quickly that if I wasn't there to feed her, she would have starved, and other needs would not have been met. She was blind and couldn't see to feed herself and move the bed up and down in position. She was always a mess and I always was changing her sheets and getting her clean blankets etc. and fixing her up. There were also a lot of other things too. So babies in tow, we stayed there every day from breakfast until the last dinner was served all day long. What a picnic. But as I walked the halls periodically, there were families in most of the rooms also around the clock and this was not a crital care unit, if that makes any difference.

Now I might have to have some surgery (no big deal) and I was asked who would be staying with me at the hospital. HUH? I said that I have a boy in school and my husband works for a living. And they acted shocked that I didn't expect them to stay with me round the clock. And this is a different hospital.

So what the heck is going on?

Is this just a thing here or does that go on everywhere?

 

[MBhorses]

Marty,

i think it goes on everywhere. My mother was in the hospital in the past. I care for all her needs night and day.i found out if you don't stay with your loves ones alot of time they don't get the right care, but there are alot of good hospitals and doctors and nurses out there.we have some hosptial and doctors wonderful and others not so great.

we will be praying for you and your mother.

 

[Fanch]

The care I've heard that is provided by Hospitals aren't the best. My mom is a nurse but I dont think I should repeat anything she says just in case. The only personal experince I have is with nurseing Homes. My grandma has alhimers(sp?) and is starving to death when I saw her. They would never sit down and help feed her. They didn't have enough nurses to start with, and I think some of them just didn't want to. She has now been moved and is doing better. Sorry I can't help out better. Would you be totally out of it after the surgury, would their have to be someone there anyway???

 

[alongman]

I try to be a patient advocate in every situation. All hospitals have their benefits and strong points - some are focused on subspecialties, others on providing a more "patient oriented" environment. I think it comes down to this - visit a lot of hospitals, ask for tours of the facility and the areas that you would be staying in. Finally, some of the responsibility comes back to us as patients - if you feel your care is substandard, demand better! The squeaky wheel gets the oil.

 

[Boinky]

i agree with adam... and quite frankly it's not like we "aint" paying them enough to give you proper care... hospital bills are outrageous!

 

[Bassett]

The care I've heard that is provided by Hospitals aren't the best. My mom is a nurse but I dont think I should repeat anything she says just in case. The only personal experince I have is with nurseing Homes. My grandma has alhimers(sp?) and is starving to death when I saw her. They would never sit down and help feed her. They didn't have enough nurses to start with, and I think some of them just didn't want to. She has now been moved and is doing better. Sorry I can't help out better. Would you be totally out of it after the surgury, would their have to be someone there anyway???

I am glad I don't live anywhere other that where I do. My husband was at Mayo Clinic for all his tests, in the hospital in Rochester, Mn for 10 days after surgery. (caroitid (sp) artery) That was 16 years ago. He has been in the hospital in Wabasha Minnesota several times since. He is now in a nursing home in Wi. And I can honestly say I have never had any bad feeling about his care in any of the facilities. The nursing home is one of the best around in my estimation. It is one of them that takes in a lot of rehabilitation patients. It is a 60 bed unit and I find all of the staff very helpful and caring. I am so pleased with it. I can't imagine a place who expects family to do the work they are being paid to do. Could it be all these places are understaffed.

Marty I hope all goes well for you and you won't need anyone to be with you 24/7. If so I hope you find someone who can do it. Good luck.

 

[Miniv]

From what I've seen here in Oregon, every hospital is different.

In Portland, there's a wide range of quality with several different hospitals scattered throughout and around the city.

Here in Central Oregon, there is top quality about 30 miles away, good quality about 15 miles from us, and very poor about 10 miles away.

MA

 

[coopermini]

Marty, If it helps I know of an excellant Equine facility that will take very good care of you. I highly recomend them. You don't mind sleeping on Pine shavings do you?

The hospitals here are quite good. We are very lucky in that regard. They are still locally owned and managed. How ever one does have to stay on top of things or little things will start to slide.

Hope your mom is doing better!

Mark

 

[Sonya]

When my sister got thrown from a horse (20 some yrs ago)...she was in shock when we took her to the hospital, she had landed on her back/neck. They took xrays, mri, blah, blah, blah and said there was nothing wrong with her but they'd keep her overnight to watch her since she was acting strange. After about 6 hrs in the hospital, she lost all use of her body and could only move her head, no limbs or torso. They kept telling her that nothing was wrong with her....the next day they brought her breakfast in and the nurses aid asked her why she hadn't eaten...she couldn't move at all! We hadn't made it there yet and the nurse and nurse aid wouldn't feed her...told her there is nothing wrong with you. Finally they figured the problem out about 24 hrs later...her neck was broke. Once they put her in a halo and reset everything...boom she was up and moving around. But it was terrible that they didn't even try to help her.

When I was in the hospital for collapsed lungs (I was only 20), i was sharing a room with an elderly lady...she was very frail. I was at a top hospital in Pittsburgh, PA, one of the best in the NE. the elderly lady didn't have any visiters and she was very weak. they would bring her dinner in and just leave it. She was so frail and weak she couldn't feed herself. I would drag all my cords/iv's over to her and feed her. This went on for a week. The nurse caught me feeding her and I got yelled at! I felt so sorry for her and worried when I got out 2 weeks later if someone was ever going to come and feed her!

I could go on with many horror stories as I've had many long stints in hospitals, but i don't want to scare anyone.

 

[Pepipony]

Hospitals, GRrrrr would be better if the Nurses ran them instead of Drs. I had neck surg a few years back, my biggest fear was waking up intubated. So of course that happened. Then they put me in a room with a lady who had an uncontrollable infection in her knee. Smart move that was.

Anyhow. The entire medical establishment is broken. Care is too expensive, charges are too high, fees too great, and competence is at an all time low ( imho) and yet we have voted to put a cap on malpractice. I think that they want family in the rooms so that blame can be placed elsewhere should something happen. I also think that they want this to help cut costs so more $$ can go into their own pockets. ALL companies ( large ones that is) have forgotten about customer care, their only concern is their very own bottom line, massive end of year bonuses and stockholders.

 

[sedeh]

Hospitals, GRrrrr would be better if the Nurses ran them instead of Drs. I had neck surg a few years back, my biggest fear was waking up intubated. So of course that happened. Then they put me in a room with a lady who had an uncontrollable infection in her knee. Smart move that was.

Anyhow. The entire medical establishment is broken. Care is too expensive, charges are too high, fees too great, and competence is at an all time low ( imho) and yet we have voted to put a cap on malpractice. I think that they want family in the rooms so that blame can be placed elsewhere should something happen. I also think that they want this to help cut costs so more $$ can go into their own pockets. ALL companies ( large ones that is) have forgotten about customer care, their only concern is their very own bottom line, massive end of year bonuses and stockholders.

I've been a nurse for 27 years and I can tell you that hospitals are struggling to survive! It used to be that insurances and medicare would pay what was billed. Now they tell the hospitals what they will pay for certain procedures and they dictate how many days of hospital care each procedure will require. Unfortunately some patients have multiple system problems and can have major complications which require longer stays.....so the hospital loses money on those patients. So insurances literally pay pennies on the dollar for hospital care. Since it's a "contracted amount" you can't ask the patient to pay the difference either.....though most patient's insurance only covers a certain percentage of the contracted price you're still getting the benifit because you only have to pay the left-over of the contracted amount. Add to that the growing number of patients that have no insurance and no means of paying their bills the hospitals are really hurting. The other thing going on is we're heading for a major nursing shortage. The majority of nurses are in my age group and are looking towards retirement. Nursing programs in schools are very expensive and since they charge a generic $ per unit the schools don't want to expand their programs because it's not cost effective. Our hospital actually pays the salary of one nursing instructor to encourage them to take in more students. So hospitals are often short-staffed. Which means higher patient/nurse ratios and poorer patient care. I know in our department we currently have 5 openings for RN's, the current staff tries to fill the holes by working overtime shifts.....so now you have a tired nurse with a bigger load of patients. Okay, I'll get off my soap box now!! :bgrin

 

[wade3504]

I can't say the hospitals I used to go to frequently are like that. I am offered help all the time even when I don't need it. All the nurses are very nice at both my local hospital and the hospital that did my transplant. I can't say much for my local dr but the nurses in the hospitals and the Doctors who did my transplant are great. During my transplant I had family stay with me but that was because I wanted them there not because the hospital said i had to have them.

Amanda

 

[Jenn]

I keep saying it ... move to Canada! Not only is health care FREE, our doctors and nurses actually give a crap.

In the past year or so, I've given birth (took two different hospitals) and had two surgeries. Even though our small town was short on doctors at the time I was giving birth, my doctor was there first thing in the morning, still with bed head, to check on me. The nurses checked on me constantly and always asked if they could get me anything. Sometimes I wished they would have left me alone!

At my surgeries, the nurses and doctors couldn't have been nicer. The doctors came down to recovery to check on me and tell me how the surgery went, and a nurse was almost constantly at my side. And this was in a BIG, very busy teaching hospital. They also booked a follow up appointment in so many weeks time to make sure everything healed properly.

I also got in quickly for both surgeries (the first one was more of an emergency, the second one I could have waited months or years without it being a major problem). I really couldn't ask for better health care than what I've received.

And none of it cost me a penny.

 

[Boinky]

honestly what i'd like to see done is investigations on insurance company's and more stringent laws about how they have to pay out ect. it's gotten to a point (medical and other types) that basically you HAVE to have it because mortagages and stuff you can't get without it..but they wont pay SQUAT for anything. basically they say anything even acts of god aren't covered. Look at all those people that went through katrina and paid their dues but still can't get it. then the insurance company claims "bankrupsy" and poof..clears them of their "debt" and they go on their merry way..probably start up another insurance company. In my own oppinion this day in age your almost better of to have NO insurance since they dont' cover anything anyways..if you make a claim they drop you or increase your rates a TON. If everyone refused to get insurance and or could get the goverment to do more stringent laws and regulations/enforcements i think you'd see things would come into line more! I think insurances is nothing but fraud now.. maybe it's consider a "legal" fraud but it's still fraud..they take millions of dollars from everyone yet wont pay out for squat. time to clean that up and you'd see things running a bit better!!!

 

[Pepipony]

Here is a hmmmmm for ya. You bring your car to the mechanic with a problem, they charge x amount to fix it and if its not, the recheck is free ( should be or used to be at least) You go to the Dr, they charge x amount and say you are 'fixed', course you arent and have to go back. No free recheck, why is that? Doctors expect that the mechanic ( with tech schooling only) to fix their car, yet Dr with nearly a decade of schooling is allowed however many rechecks? Something isnt right with that thinking. And I am NOT putting down mechanics, married to one LOL

Maybe if Drs had to give free rechecks, we would all be better off

: Insurance would hopefully go down and with that a lot of problems would work themselves out. How many people actually get the correct dx the first time anyhow? Took me dozens of Drs and nearly 2 decades. Dont even want to total the cost of all my rechecks, dare say they are into the tens of thousands.

Boinky. Even worse when the insurance company agrees to pay such and such, so you go have the procedure/surgery, then they change their mind.

 

[Boinky]

boy do i agree with that pepi! Any other professional is expected to do the job right and if not you either get a significant discount or it's free (i lean towards fee myself..lol).....or people get outraged and will go after you for compensation. I think your dead right and they should be held responsible for knowing and fixing the problem just like any other professional would have to and if it's not done right..ESPECIALLY if it's something silly or simple but they just don't want to be bothered. I can't tell you how many times i've gone for STUPID things that should be easily fixed and they blow it off then you end up going back multiple times..and guess what..there really IS a problem when it's all said and done. ... go figure! Doctors certainly don't have the "customer is always right" phylosiphy either. Sorry but it's MY body..i KNOW when something is not right!

I think between your idea and better insurance policies the medical world would be a better place... course socialized medicine like canada may be a better option..but i don't see us going to that anytime soon! i just think they need to make what we already have more accessible, reasonable and easier to use./get and not allow them to rip off the public by charging outrageous insurance fee's..then denying claims and or upping premiums if you do need to make a claim (especially if you don't normally make claims). it's basically in my book a legal form of fraud and should be delt with..everything else seems to be except insurance and gas prices!

 

[~Karen~]

Sorry to hear that you are having to go to the hospital and under those circumstances. I didn't know that there was a such situation. The hospitals here all take care of their patients. But if you need extra special type help, like feeding, they have that too... of course you get charged out the booty for it, but it is still there if needed.

I agree about the insurance companys. I do have to think that maybe it has something to do with the abuse of the welfare system. Not everyone abuses it, but there are those out there that are afraid to lose their help crutch so they won't do anything to help themselves. In turn, those who are trying to make a meger living has to pay for others expenses.

I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers. Hope that you get what you need. Is your stay very long?

~Karen

 

[Marty]

How insane is it to not realize that a blind, disabled, just had surgery, old lady would not need help being fed or washed up or be in a clean bed?

Why is that too much to ask, or rather expect?

Seems to me that they should have just taken a lot off of her bill for services that were not rendered, and pay me the wages for doing their job.

 

[Pepipony]

How insane is it to not realize that a blind, disabled, just had surgery, old lady would not need help being fed or washed up or be in a clean bed?

Why is that too much to ask, or rather expect?

Seems to me that they should have just taken a lot off of her bill for services that were not rendered, and pay me the wages for doing their job.

One would think!!! Gonna get flamed for saying this, but here goes. It seems that the higher education a person has, the less common sense they have. If a person in a hospital is taken care of , then their stay is shorter (unless some numbnutt behind a desk decides the stay time) and of course cost would be less as well. Marty I would be just crabby enough to ask that

:

 

[runamuk]

Well I try to avoid doctors and hospitals at all costs :bgrin :bgrin

But I did have my first son at a wonderful hospital in Seattle, where I was well treated and nurses checked on me regularly.

My second son...well I had "group death" insurance and that HMO stunk...the hospital care stunk the nurses were rude and crabby...the doctors were rushed and had little if any concern for me as a patient....in fact after being hooked up to a stupid IV for a day and hadn't been sent home, I finally demanded to know why the heck they were still pumping fluid into me....oh turns out I had hemorraged but they never bothered to tell me

Then I had surgery on my back in Idaho......my surgeon was great, the nurses were wonderful, my shared room sucked....my neighboring patient had I swear 50 loud people at all times and my little curtain provided no privacy

:

:

The nurse at one point following surgery seemed overly concerned after taking my vitals so I asked what was wrong.....she hesitated and said my pressure wasn't coming up...I asked what it was and then told her that was almost normal for me.....she was very relieved but kept checking me , convinced I was going to die or something

: :bgrin