My mother has been in the Geriatric psychiatry unit for 10 days. She is 92 with Congestive Heart Disease and Vascular Dementia. The Psychiatric Care is great, the medical care is appalling. While she is getting better mentally, she has developed an eye infection, asthma and respiratory infection and severe back pain from previous compression fractures.
No one noticed until I had to threaten to discharge her. Finally a medical doctor showed up to asked me what I wanted him to do. He listened to her chest for half a second and again asked me what I wanted him to do. He finally ordered nebulizer treatments, to start that day and vicodin for her back
The next day I found my mother so weak she is sitting in a wheelchair, her lunch in front of her at 1:30. She was coughing inspite of the vicodin which acts as a cough suppressant and pain medication.
I complained to the nurse who told me that my mother had had a nebulizer treatment, that I was not letting her do her job and I shouldn't come to visit so often.
So On my way out I called the respiratory therapy department directly. After several phone calls I got a very nice supervisor . No my mother hadn't received any nebulizer treatments at all, except the one at 2:30 after I left. I explained my concerns and she assured me she would make sure my mother got 4 treatments daily as the doctor ordered.
Now I have to go back to see if these treatments are working or if my mother has a respiratory infection that needs antibiotic. Lets hope it's not MERSA.