My elderly father has been ill a few times over the past year and in the hospital (this is in the US). What I've noticed is that Doctors and Nurses keep pushing us to just let him die, instead of trying to keep him alive.
This wasn't something in passing. It's non-stop throughout his time there. To the point of harassment and they try to divide-and-conquer with my family. The first time, he recovered within a couple of weeks and went home.
He's sick again with RSV, and they are pushing it again. He will probably be released within a week or so. He has no dementia, heart issues, or cancer. His main problem is his knees, which is pretty common with a 90 year old.
I'm just not clear on the motive. Why care so much about this? It's not like he's a vegetable and suffering. His quality of life, even after the first time he came out, wasn't too bad.
It also seems like nobody knows what they are doing. If my mom hadn't been there to watch what they were doing, he probably would have died the first time.
cfu28•2mo ago
I know nothing about what happened in your fathers case, if it is exactly what you mentioned it sounds a little inappropriate but I’m wondering if something is lost in translation. You do mention he was admitted a few times to the hospital this year alone if I’m reading correctly, which is not normal and I am wondering if he is sicker than you are letting on in your comment.
Are these palliative care doctors and nurses engaging with the patient and your family? One thing they do is ask about code status (full code vs DNR/DNI) and clarify what the wishes of the patient are, help out with legacy planning, make sure everyone is aware of all the possible outcomes (not just death but reduction in QOL), and provide emotional support. Note that this job is not limited to a palliative team, but most patients and families don’t think about these things until it’s too late. CPR can have a pretty poor outcome in many elderly patients and can do more harm then good, so they may just want to make sure you have all the right information. It’s becoming the standard to engage in these talks sooner, not necessarily because they anticipate a poor recovery on this admission but you never know about the next one.
Just FYI and to tie this back to the original article, the physicians taking care of your father have no say in organ donation, it’s a conflict of interest for obvious reasons.
salawat•2mo ago
Note: Insurers like United Healthcare have been caught creating incentive programs whereby elder care facilities are essentially rewarded for minimizing referrals of seniors to medical care. If you don't think that there are perverse forces at work in the American Healthcare payment system, it is my extreme privilege to bring these types of things to your awareness.
billy99k•2mo ago
This wasn't something in passing. It's non-stop throughout his time there. To the point of harassment and they try to divide-and-conquer with my family. The first time, he recovered within a couple of weeks and went home.
He's sick again with RSV, and they are pushing it again. He will probably be released within a week or so. He has no dementia, heart issues, or cancer. His main problem is his knees, which is pretty common with a 90 year old.
I'm just not clear on the motive. Why care so much about this? It's not like he's a vegetable and suffering. His quality of life, even after the first time he came out, wasn't too bad.
It also seems like nobody knows what they are doing. If my mom hadn't been there to watch what they were doing, he probably would have died the first time.
cfu28•2mo ago
Are these palliative care doctors and nurses engaging with the patient and your family? One thing they do is ask about code status (full code vs DNR/DNI) and clarify what the wishes of the patient are, help out with legacy planning, make sure everyone is aware of all the possible outcomes (not just death but reduction in QOL), and provide emotional support. Note that this job is not limited to a palliative team, but most patients and families don’t think about these things until it’s too late. CPR can have a pretty poor outcome in many elderly patients and can do more harm then good, so they may just want to make sure you have all the right information. It’s becoming the standard to engage in these talks sooner, not necessarily because they anticipate a poor recovery on this admission but you never know about the next one.
Just FYI and to tie this back to the original article, the physicians taking care of your father have no say in organ donation, it’s a conflict of interest for obvious reasons.
salawat•2mo ago
https://www.vice.com/en/article/unitedhealths-alleged-plan-t...
https://www.consumeraffairs.com/news/unitedhealth-secretly-p...
Health insurers/private equity are not your friends!