I would agree with the others, that the hospital treatment of elderly and confused patients is absolutely appalling.
My mother fell and broke her hip, while she was in her room, in a very good, family run care home. She was taken to hospital promptly and assessed, but then had to wait 48 hours before she was operated on. She had rheumatoid arthritis, so naturally once she was in a position to begin trying to walk again, she'd got very stiff in her joints and it was painful for her to bear weight and her arms were also very weak.
The hospital staff put her drinks out of reach, did not help her at mealtimes and visiting was very restricted, so we couldn't come in to help her eat. She lost so much weight and got so dehydrated that we thought we were going to lose her.
Everything in the hospital was painted white and the floors were grey, so Mum had no idea where she was, because her vision was very poor. The use of bright colours to mark out doors and different walls would have made a huge difference to her and helped to make her less confused.
After four weeks, the care home said they'd take her back and try and feed her properly, so she'd regain her weight. The hospital sent her back by ambulance, in November, dressed only in a dirty nightie, with a hospital blanket round her shoulders. In her bag, she had a clean nightie and warm dressing gown, as well as a clean set of clothes and a warm fleece.
The owner of the care home said that Mum had been neglected in hospital, but she did improve with the good care in the home. However, they couldn't meet her needs and she had to go into a nursing home.
Mum was able to walk with a stick, before she broke her hip and had been living independently in her own home, just three or four months before. I'm sure that if the hospital had operated within 24 hours and had given Mum better care and attention, she'd have made a reasonable recovery and perhaps have been able to walk again with a zimmer frame.
In the nursing home, she put on weight and once she'd settled down, she was able to hold a sensible conversation, play games like dominoes and feed herself. The hospital just seemed to write her off, because she was old and got confused after her operation. They have a lot to answer for, and I'm glad that at least she had good care in the homes.
If hospital patients have come from a care or nursing home, then it would be sensible to see that they have carers to attend to their needs and also allow unrestricted visiting, so that relatives and friends could help at mealtimes.
It is also really important that staff find time to talk to patients, especially when they are confused. Mum was so much more co-operative with the nurses who talked to her and were very patient. One excellent nurse was able to move Mum without a hoist, because she could get her to make an effort and move herself, with just a little support. She was a lovely lady, always ready to smile and encourage. We need more people like that in our hospitals!
My Mum died suddenly last year. She was 82 and it was so sad, that perhaps she ended up in a nursing home, because of lack of appropriate care in hospital.
Kayla