Thank you, Hasty, Babyjane and Sparkle!
Babyjane, it must have been very traumatic for you not to mention your Mum at the time. Elder care is another of my bug bears, but I would be here all day if I wrote about the things I have seen with the care of the elderly whilst I've been in hospitals.
Dad was treated very well in his latter days, as the ward he was on specialised in dementia care and patients with complex needs. I have however seen some very disturbing things regarding the care of elderly patients on Gynaecology wards, especially those who were transferred into hospital from nursing homes and had very few visitors (in some cases, none). I think the thing that struck me most was a general lack of kindness and patience from some of the staff. Another big issue I saw that concerned me was that patients who had difficulty cutting their food or were very slow in eating had their food whisked away uneaten, and were then handed a nutrition drink instead at mealtimes.
I asked a lady next to me once if she would like to eat, and she said very much so! All she needed was a little help and time to finish her meal. I noticed that the staff were very regimental about mealtimes, and if the patient didn't finish a meal in 15 minutes flat, then basically they were in for some pretty rough words about 'how mealtimes run to a schedule'.
I think it's a good thing that our local hospital has now extended visiting to all day including at mealtimes, so that relatives can make sure their loved ones are fed and helped if needed. But it still worries me about those patients who are alone and have no visitors. My Dad's partner used to spend all day on the wards with Dad, and before he was on the specialised ward, she used to help other patients to eat too. The nursing staff basically just looked on and let her get on with it!
