When Did We Lose Care?

 

We call it healthcare.  It's not.  It may be about a person's health, but there is certainly no care involved.

I am hoping someone out there will argue with me on this one.  I hope someone can provide me an example of excellent care within "the system."  There HAS to be someone out there and I so want to hear about this anomaly.

Because it has become blatantly obvious that there is no care.  Care:  "the provision of what is necessary for the health, welfare, maintenance, and protection of someone or something."  Care:  "serious attention or consideration applied to doing something correctly or to avoid damage or risk."  Care:  "serious attention or consideration applied to doing something correctly or to avoid damage or risk...”  In all my recent experiences none of these definitions apply.

Back in early November my mother was hospitalized.  Tests were run.  She was released after 3 days with no real diagnosis or explanation.  We knew that her blood sugar was low.  We knew she was anemic.  Why?  There was no explanation.

She came home with 5 new medications.  THREE days after she had been home the hospital had a nurse come out to visit.  I was happy that a nurse came to visit, but why the wait?  Without review of the medications (which was sort of done when the nurse came) she could have taken all the pills; she could have taken none of them; she could have taken them incorrectly.  So many things COULD have happened; why wasn't this reviewed prior to release or was a nurse dispatched to the house if not that evening then the next day?

Of the 5 new medications; three had the side effect of drowsiness, which she was.  One was an antidepressant that had side effects of drowsiness, hallucinations, loss of coordination, severe dizziness, twitching muscles, and unusual agitation/restlessness.  All of which my mother, who is not depressed (or any more depressed than anyone would be who had been in the hospital for three days), had.  I was there when she hallucinated and it was NOT a good situation.  WHY she was on an antidepressant is a question no one can answer.  So much for care.  She stopped taking it...and the side effects (slowly) went away.  

You have probably read my blog post/rant about the lack of care my father has received. (If not I start ranting here:  https://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2021/12/lack-of-senior-care.html)  He has spent years trying to get help. Instead of help, he has gotten worse.  When we found a doctor who we think correctly diagnosed the problem (with images that explained why when he was seated there was no pain, but walking or movement were torturous) he was unwilling/unable to do the procedure (which was scheduled for December 7) because the cardiologist would not sign off on it.  This problem could have possibly been overcome IF the cardiologist has said something when he saw my father and my father discussed it with him, but he did not.  The office says my father refused to have a nuclear stress test.  My mother said he did not.  I wasn't there so I can't say, but in any event, there was no definitive, "NO" until the Friday before the procedure.  WHY wasn't this clearly presented two weeks ago?  My father will have the nuclear stress test on the day that he was supposed to have the procedure and I will be there because I do not trust this cardiology practice and their lack of care about my father's overall health is sickening.  

This lack of care is not new.  I've been seeing it in my own life.  Since the physician that I saw since I was a teen retired several years ago, the quality of care that I get from the practice has decreased.  Getting an appointment for an annual checkup requires a wait of 3 months...and even then I cannot get a time that best suits my schedule.  How is this quality care?

My husband see a physician quarterly to monitor his diabetes.  When the doctor saw something he didn't like, he told my husband to schedule an appointment for the following month.  My husband tried, but the office said there were no available appointments for nearly two months.  How is that possible?  (Thankfully after 2 months the issue had been resolved.)  But how is this care?

There is no health care left.  There may be; there MUST be medical professionals that care.  Sadly I have not seen them lately.  I'm guessing that those who care are being burned out by regulations handed down by insurance companies who rule the medical world without a medical background.

How did this happen?  Why was this allowed?  WHO allowed it?  (And I'm guessing it wasn't simply one person.)  WHY DON'T WE CARE??!?!?

Forget the questions above...what we need to do is focus on CARE.  Getting it back in our lives.  Giving it back to everyone.  To treat each and every person as a complete human being and not just a specific body part.  We need HUMANITY CARE.   

We need care.  Do we care enough to give it?