How Much Can One System Screw Up?

I mean, honestly! Wise Woman has been in this private hospital for eight days. So far we have had the incidents mentioned in the last two blog entries, plus other minor ones such as constantly coming in the middle of the night to change her incontinence pad. Ah, she is not and never has been incontinent AS WE TOLD YOU EVERY DAY THIS WEEK, AND AS HER NOTES STATE!

But by far the biggest fault has been the physical damage caused by their arrogance and inability to listen.

Yesterday she was transferred to the rehabilitation unit. I arrived about thirty minutes later to find her in a shared room. Now, this is a woman who is obsessively private and not really social. She loves her own company and peace and quiet, even more so when she is in pain. So, being the Madmother, I go in to bat and have her in a single room five minutes later. First hurdle down. I then go through and REPEAT all I had informed the other ward and staff of. Repeated myself, pushed the vital points.

At 1pm I have to leave for 2 hours (rest time). I return at 3pm to find her room in uproar. This ignorant, arrogant, old enough to know better little shit of a physiotherapist forced her to lie flat on her back (impossible at the best of times, excrutiating now) and when she could not lift her legs off the bed he had a nurse yank them skyward. I walked in around ten minutes later to hear her telling them she had to go home NOW. God, I am still shaking in outrage and anger 24 hours later.

He hurt her, really hurt her. She is so much worse than she was on admission. I brought her here to heal, not be injured further. You can guess how much wrath fell on his and every staff member's head within calling distance, and yes then I called the legal team. I think the threat was dismissed when I told this stupid fool and his co-horts that this is the path I would take. You should have seen the faces drop as I used call connect to be put through, and even more so when they saw I was put straight through to this well-known litigator. And then the looks of horror and fear as I dictated the latest offence and re-iturated the previous ones. Arrrrgggggghhhhhh - IT SHOULD NEVER COME TO THIS! What happens to those without a Madmother daughter to kick arse? I am so, so angry.

And so disappointed that this is the best of a bad lot when it comes to the aged in hospitals. We are giving it the weekend, the physio has been told by the head doctor to stay away. She is now only to be given gentle walking exercise to keep her mobile. There are two massive signs in her room stating: "Do not assist unless requested by patient and THEN only following her detailed instructions."

If she wishes I will bring her home Monday. We will organise private nurses and I will scare the fuck out of them with detailed instructions BEFORE they go near her. Her carers are ready and willing to step back in at the drop of a hat. We can and will do this if she wants.

A month ago, this was my happy, content, secure mother:

This is my scared, in pain, frail mother today:

Can you see how light in her eyes is nearly extinguished? By hell, if they have broken her fighting spirit I will kill each and every one of them who has contributed to this farce. I am just crazy enough to do it too.