Old and Nowhere To Go

[Deleted]

There's no illusion of privacy in an ER, which is where DH and I spent most of the day.  An interesting situation came up that I thought I would share.  It gives us something to talk about. 

An 87-year-old woman was brought by ambulance to the ER.  The police had been called to her house of residence by her roommate, who actually owns the house.  The elderly woman and her roommate had had a fight and kicked her out.  I'm not sure who told her this-- the roommate or the police-- but she was given this choice.  She could leave or she could go to jail.  She chose "leave" but had nowhere to go.  So she called an ambulance and told them to take her to this hospital.

When she got to the hospital, she told the ER that there was nothing immediately wrong with her, but she had nowhere to go.  There was no one she could call.  She has cancer and is on hospice, but she couldn't remember the name of the company.  The head nurse called every hospice in the area, but couldn't find the one who was serving her.  They didn't have a room for her so the ambulance drivers (a volunteer ambulance company with a small town FD) stayed with her.  The head nurse talked with them who said the police said the roommate was crazy, but it wasn't against the law to be crazy.  (Nice to know!)  The ambulance company is not allowed to refuse service so they had to take her to the hospital.

What to do with this woman?  The head nurse called DHR (Dept. of Human Resources) and was waiting a call back to figure out what to do with her.  Meanwhile, she had to put her in a room in a very crowded ER that a sick person needed.  As the head nurse kept telling everyone, "This all happens late on a Friday afternoon."  I gather that meant that there could be no placement until at least Monday since DHR probably couldn't evaluate her situation in time.

I don't know what happened in the end because we were finally admitted to the hospital, but it was an interesting situation.  The elderly woman had nowhere to go.  She said she had no relatives who would take her in.

Comments?  HIPAA apparently doesn't apply to ERs because I know the woman's name and date of birth.

[hoops902]

Sept 20, 2019 20:57:38 GMT -5 @bamafan1954 said:

There's no illusion of privacy in an ER, which is where DH and I spent most of the day.  An interesting situation came up that I thought I would share.  It gives us something to talk about. 

An 87-year-old woman was brought by ambulance to the ER.  The police had been called to her house of residence by her roommate, who actually owns the house.  The elderly woman and her roommate had had a fight and kicked her out.  I'm not sure who told her this-- the roommate or the police-- but she was given this choice.  She could leave or she could go to jail.  She chose "leave" but had nowhere to go.  So she called an ambulance and told them to take her to this hospital.

When she got to the hospital, she told the ER that there was nothing immediately wrong with her, but she had nowhere to go.  There was no one she could call.  She has cancer and is on hospice, but she couldn't remember the name of the company.  The head nurse called every hospice in the area, but couldn't find the one who was serving her.  They didn't have a room for her so the ambulance drivers (a volunteer ambulance company with a small town FD) stayed with her.  The head nurse talked with them who said the police said the roommate was crazy, but it wasn't against the law to be crazy.  (Nice to know!)  The ambulance company is not allowed to refuse service so they had to take her to the hospital.

What to do with this woman?  The head nurse called DHR (Dept. of Human Resources) and was waiting a call back to figure out what to do with her.  Meanwhile, she had to put her in a room in a very crowded ER that a sick person needed.  As the head nurse kept telling everyone, "This all happens late on a Friday afternoon."  I gather that meant that there could be no placement until at least Monday since DHR probably couldn't evaluate her situation in time.

I don't know what happened in the end because we were finally admitted to the hospital, but it was an interesting situation.  The elderly woman had nowhere to go.  She said she had no relatives who would take her in.

Comments?  HIPAA apparently doesn't apply to ERs because I know the woman's name and date of birth.

A few comments:

1.  How did they HAVE to "put her in a room in a very crowded ER"...you're not sick, sit your ass down in the waiting room.

2.  What to do with her...tell her to go to a bar, get drunk, and call the police about someone being intoxicated in public.  She'll get a stay overnight.

3.  Or tell her to go back to the house she lives in, and stay there.  And if her choices are leave or jail, just pick jail.

[raeoflyte]

Sounds like my worst nightmare.

[TheOtherMe]

Have some compassion.  The woman is 87 years old.

[Deleted]

Sept 20, 2019 21:04:11 GMT -5 hoops902 said:

Sept 20, 2019 20:57:38 GMT -5 @bamafan1954 said:

There's no illusion of privacy in an ER, which is where DH and I spent most of the day.  An interesting situation came up that I thought I would share.  It gives us something to talk about. 

An 87-year-old woman was brought by ambulance to the ER.  The police had been called to her house of residence by her roommate, who actually owns the house.  The elderly woman and her roommate had had a fight and kicked her out.  I'm not sure who told her this-- the roommate or the police-- but she was given this choice.  She could leave or she could go to jail.  She chose "leave" but had nowhere to go.  So she called an ambulance and told them to take her to this hospital.

When she got to the hospital, she told the ER that there was nothing immediately wrong with her, but she had nowhere to go.  There was no one she could call.  She has cancer and is on hospice, but she couldn't remember the name of the company.  The head nurse called every hospice in the area, but couldn't find the one who was serving her.  They didn't have a room for her so the ambulance drivers (a volunteer ambulance company with a small town FD) stayed with her.  The head nurse talked with them who said the police said the roommate was crazy, but it wasn't against the law to be crazy.  (Nice to know!)  The ambulance company is not allowed to refuse service so they had to take her to the hospital.

What to do with this woman?  The head nurse called DHR (Dept. of Human Resources) and was waiting a call back to figure out what to do with her.  Meanwhile, she had to put her in a room in a very crowded ER that a sick person needed.  As the head nurse kept telling everyone, "This all happens late on a Friday afternoon."  I gather that meant that there could be no placement until at least Monday since DHR probably couldn't evaluate her situation in time.

I don't know what happened in the end because we were finally admitted to the hospital, but it was an interesting situation.  The elderly woman had nowhere to go.  She said she had no relatives who would take her in.

Comments?  HIPAA apparently doesn't apply to ERs because I know the woman's name and date of birth.

A few comments:

1.  How did they HAVE to "put her in a room in a very crowded ER"...you're not sick, sit your ass down in the waiting room.

2.  What to do with her...tell her to go to a bar, get drunk, and call the police about someone being intoxicated in public.  She'll get a stay overnight.

3.  Or tell her to go back to the house she lives in, and stay there.  And if her choices are leave or jail, just pick jail.

1.  She was on an ambulance stretcher.  Apparently, they couldn't just drop her off.  I have seen ambulances wait with patients before.

2.  There were no bars in walking distance of the hospital. 

3.  She made her choice already.  She chose to leave.  But she had nowhere to go.

You are usually logical, not simply cruel to those less fortunate.  There are probably a lot of elderly people with nowhere to go.  My DH is probably one of them except for me.  He has nieces who care about him, but they live thousands of miles away.  Hopefully, my kids  would step up, but they aren't required to.  

[Works4me]

Now you know why medical social workers exist and yes, always on a Friday afternoon. As far a placement for her, there are board and care facikitues, assisted living and nursing homes. If she is in Hospice, they also have homes. Most likely she will refuse any and all of them which is when it gets dicey.

Their best best is to get the name of her physician, contact him/her and go from there. There may also be family and friends. Believe it or not, I liked the challenge of doing the impossible in cases like this.


ETA -SS, how is your husband doing and how are you holding up?

[weltschmerz]

1. She was on an ambulance stretcher. Apparently, they couldn't just drop her off. I have seen ambulances wait with patients before.


Same here. If you come by ambulance, the paramedics have to stay with you. They can't just upend the stretcher and tell the patient to have a seat in the waiting room.

[hoops902]

Sept 20, 2019 23:10:16 GMT -5 @bamafan1954 said:

Sept 20, 2019 21:04:11 GMT -5 hoops902 said:

A few comments:

1.  How did they HAVE to "put her in a room in a very crowded ER"...you're not sick, sit your ass down in the waiting room.

2.  What to do with her...tell her to go to a bar, get drunk, and call the police about someone being intoxicated in public.  She'll get a stay overnight.

3.  Or tell her to go back to the house she lives in, and stay there.  And if her choices are leave or jail, just pick jail.

1.  She was on an ambulance stretcher.  Apparently, they couldn't just drop her off.  I have seen ambulances wait with patients before.

2.  There were no bars in walking distance of the hospital. 

3.  She made her choice already.  She chose to leave.  But she had nowhere to go.

You are usually logical, not simply cruel to those less fortunate.  There are probably a lot of elderly people with nowhere to go.  My DH is probably one of them except for me.  He has nieces who care about him, but they live thousands of miles away.  Hopefully, my kids  would step up, but they aren't required to.  

What part of it do you think sounds cruel?  She's not sick, she apparently has nobody to come help her in terms of friends or family, the government agency who might probably won't for a few days.  Hanging out in a hospital waiting area or taking a leisurely trip to the jail for a night or two sounds better than hanging out on the streets.  

And in terms of #3, she chose to leave...choosing to leave a place doesn't put some magical forcefield up that says you can't return.  I wouldn't necessarily recommend it if she can find a better option, but the option exists.

Without more details on the roommate situation, there's no way to know how permanent her being "kicked out" is.  The important thing at the moment (a Friday night) is keeping her off the street temporarily until someone can find a better option.  A hospital waiting room and a jail both sound like pretty safe options for her.  Personally I'd prefer to hang out in the waiting room of most hospitals I've been to, but having a minor violation put me in a local jail with cops who probably feel sorry for me with no place to go seems relatively fine for a night as well.

It's not as if I suggested the hospital escort her from the premises since she wasn't sick, I suggested they tell her to sit her ass down in the waiting room rather than risk lives by taking up resources she knows she doesn't need.

[TheOtherMe]

The woman is 87 years old with no place to go.

I have read articles that hospitals have elderly patients with no where to go.  Care facilities full are won't take Medicaid, person may have had issues at care facilities and they won't take them back and they have no family.

The situation is my worst nightmare.  

Compassion for others goes a long way in this world.  

This could be you as you age.  You can't predict your own future.  

[Deleted]

The hospital will her on the street, probably. 

Kaiser in CA was sued over that, after a woman was dumped in the ghetto on the side of the street and died. Happens all the time. 


khn.org/morning-breakout/calif-hospital-to-pay-550k-following-investigation-into-hundreds-of-cases-of-patient-dumping/

At the end, my DH was very ill and I was 1000% unable to care for him at home and the hospital dumped him back home via ambulance though I seriously protested.

I was told to call 911 if he needed to get out of bed. In an area with 1-hour, volunteer fire dept response. Insanity.

This happens every day. No one cares where you go, if you aren't seen as admit-able, out you go onto the street.

[Deleted]

Are we really discussing an 87 year old going to frigging county jail as a viable option?

Disgusting

With the wrong luck, health or otherwise this could end up being you or someone you love someday. I’m fine paying for a system so stuff like this doesn’t happen to our elderly.

[Deleted]

Yes, the practical side of me says that this is a huge waste of medical resources.

The side of me that's been driven my entire adult life by a fear of being old and poor just cringes.  What a horrible way to end up at that time in your life.  And if she really did have cancer and was on hospice (I know they couldn't verify that), how did she fall through the cracks?

I agree with aj that I'd pay for a system that genuinely takes care of vulnerable elderly but I thought we had one.  I'd like to find out first why that one isn't working.

A bit OT but I saw an article about how some changes in MO law may enable more people to get care at home.  The woman featured was in her late 50s and had had a stroke a couple of years before.  The picture showed her propped up against pillows in a rehab facility where she'd been for 3 years because there was no one at home to care for her.  She was obese and had oxygen tubes running into her nose.  She was hopeful that she might be able to be treated at home now.

So... for THREE YEARS the taxpayers had been footing the bill for a "rehabilitation" facility and there was no rehab.  Clearly they'd fed her enough that she was obese, undoubtedly complicating her health issues.  How do you get someone exercising when they can't get themselves out of bed?  The system is broken.

[TheOtherMe]

Sept 21, 2019 13:25:41 GMT -5 @aj said:

Are we really discussing an 87 year old going to frigging county jail as a viable option?

Disgusting

With the wrong luck, health or otherwise this could end up being you or someone you love someday. I’m fine paying for a system so stuff like this doesn’t happen to our elderly.

That was my point.

Raise my taxes to care for people like this.  I will pay without complaining.

It could be me someday.  

My dad isn't going to be around a lot longer and I haven't figured out what I'm going to do.  The only talking my sister and I do is about dad.  I need to have a talk with my niece and nephews to see if they are going to have anything to do with me.

Oh how I wish I could afford to return to Colorado.  I know in my heart that I would have had to have left by now due to the huge increase in rents.  At least it was my decision to leave but I thought I would be able to return when my parents were gone.  That is no longer feasible and I have no idea of where I even want to go.

I like that I have established health care here and I'd hate to have to set that all up again. 

[Lizard Queen]

Sept 21, 2019 14:33:31 GMT -5 @athena53 said:

Yes, the practical side of me says that this is a huge waste of medical resources.

The side of me that's been driven my entire adult life by a fear of being old and poor just cringes.  What a horrible way to end up at that time in your life.  And if she really did have cancer and was on hospice (I know they couldn't verify that), how did she fall through the cracks?

I agree with aj that I'd pay for a system that genuinely takes care of vulnerable elderly but I thought we had one.  I'd like to find out first why that one isn't working.

A bit OT but I saw an article about how some changes in MO law may enable more people to get care at home.  The woman featured was in her late 50s and had had a stroke a couple of years before.  The picture showed her propped up against pillows in a rehab facility where she'd been for 3 years because there was no one at home to care for her.  She was obese and had oxygen tubes running into her nose.  She was hopeful that she might be able to be treated at home now.

So... for THREE YEARS the taxpayers had been footing the bill for a "rehabilitation" facility and there was no rehab.  Clearly they'd fed her enough that she was obese, undoubtedly complicating her health issues.  How do you get someone exercising when they can't get themselves out of bed?  The system is broken.

How could she be cared for at home, other than having aide with her 24/7, and if so, how could that possibly be cheaper?

[weltschmerz]

Sept 21, 2019 17:31:14 GMT -5 Lizard Queen said:

Sept 21, 2019 14:33:31 GMT -5 @athena53 said:

Yes, the practical side of me says that this is a huge waste of medical resources.

The side of me that's been driven my entire adult life by a fear of being old and poor just cringes.  What a horrible way to end up at that time in your life.  And if she really did have cancer and was on hospice (I know they couldn't verify that), how did she fall through the cracks?

I agree with aj that I'd pay for a system that genuinely takes care of vulnerable elderly but I thought we had one.  I'd like to find out first why that one isn't working.

A bit OT but I saw an article about how some changes in MO law may enable more people to get care at home.  The woman featured was in her late 50s and had had a stroke a couple of years before.  The picture showed her propped up against pillows in a rehab facility where she'd been for 3 years because there was no one at home to care for her.  She was obese and had oxygen tubes running into her nose.  She was hopeful that she might be able to be treated at home now.

So... for THREE YEARS the taxpayers had been footing the bill for a "rehabilitation" facility and there was no rehab.  Clearly they'd fed her enough that she was obese, undoubtedly complicating her health issues.  How do you get someone exercising when they can't get themselves out of bed?  The system is broken.

How could she be cared for at home, other than having aide with her 24/7, and if so, how could that possibly be cheaper?

It's cheaper. This was in 2013......
I'n sure it's much more now.


A typical in-patient stay in a hospital is about 5 days, and that may cost you over $10,000.This figure does not include major procedures, ambulance fees, or other charges. It’s easy to see how a short stay in the hospital may leave your family in a difficult financial situation.
www.trustedchoice.com/insurance-articles/life-health/cost-night-hospital/

An aide would cost much less than $2,000 a day.

[weltschmerz]

It can cost $4,570 in New Jersey for one night.


www.beckershospitalreview.com/finance/average-hospital-expenses-per-inpatient-day-across-50-states.html

[Lizard Queen]

Sept 21, 2019 20:50:53 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

Sept 21, 2019 17:31:14 GMT -5 Lizard Queen said:

How could she be cared for at home, other than having aide with her 24/7, and if so, how could that possibly be cheaper?

It's cheaper. This was in 2013......
I'n sure it's much more now.


A typical in-patient stay in a hospital is about 5 days, and that may cost you over $10,000.This figure does not include major procedures, ambulance fees, or other charges. It’s easy to see how a short stay in the hospital may leave your family in a difficult financial situation.
www.trustedchoice.com/insurance-articles/life-health/cost-night-hospital/

An aide would cost much less than $2,000 a day.

She said rehab facility, not hospital. I'm very familiar with the price for that, TYVM.

[countrygirl2]

How cruel someone 87 likely is not able to think and reason fine.  Many seniors find themselves unable to know how to navigate the systems without help.  I worry about my DD, I so fear she will slip through the cracks or even us if I am not here to navigate all this stuff.  And at some point, I may lose my ability to continue to do it.  Our son hopefully will help, if our attorney did, he would drain the money fast I'm sure.

Yes, I worry, and yes, I'm scared, we all should be with so many people that don't care and there is no one that can help or will.  Many people now have only 1 or 2 kids and they could well outlive all their family or have one unable or unwilling to help.  So many factors.

[Deleted]

Sept 21, 2019 17:31:14 GMT -5 Lizard Queen said:

How could she be cared for at home, other than having aide with her 24/7, and if so, how could that possibly be cheaper?

This number is 3 years old and I'm in a LCOL area, but when DH was in his last days the home health aides from a good company I used were $22/hour. That's not cheap but it's got to be cheaper than inpatient rehab. They would help with bathing, getting to the bathroom, giving meds, etc, as well as prepare meals, drive them places and do light housework. One of the workers told me that they had clients in their 90s who preferred to age at home and did have 24/7 support. I'd find that very isolating but we're all different.

[Lizard Queen]

Sept 22, 2019 6:46:03 GMT -5 @athena53 said:

Sept 21, 2019 17:31:14 GMT -5 Lizard Queen said:

How could she be cared for at home, other than having aide with her 24/7, and if so, how could that possibly be cheaper?

This number is 3 years old and I'm in a LCOL area, but when DH was in his last days the home health aides from a good company I used were $22/hour. That's not cheap but it's got to be cheaper than inpatient rehab. They would help with bathing, getting to the bathroom, giving meds, etc, as well as prepare meals, drive them places and do light housework. One of the workers told me that they had clients in their 90s who preferred to age at home and did have 24/7 support. I'd find that very isolating but we're all different.

It's not cheaper. I'm not saying that it's not possible to make it cheaper, but I've done the math a lot. (I could have possibly coordinated for my mother to make it cheaper, but it still woulve have involved a ton of non-compensated work on my own part. That's not really cheaper--just cost-shifting.) On a large scale, it would get even more challenging, because there just aren't enough aides to go around. Now, doubling up, that's another story. You could definitely save with couples. It just seems like this 24/7 case that they highlighted is not a good example for this kind of program.

[countrygirl2]

Even with help when both are old, how does one care for the other and themselves? It's a fact age takes away strength and abilities.

[Miss Tequila]

This story hurts my heart. 

Now that I'm dealing with my mom and her issues (congestive heart failure, a-fib, alcohol induced dementia (which pisses me off!), insulin dependent diabetic, wounds that won't close on her foot, etc) I see that there is really nothing in place for people that weren't wise enough to save (my mom), couldn't afford to save or who saved but didn't save enough.  The truly poor will be covered by Medicaid and can go to a skilled nursing facility, get free or very reduced prescriptions, etc.  My mom and her husband bring in enough to not qualify for anything but not enough to pay for her to be in a facility. 

Her husband is just not really capable of taking care of her but he has no choice.  She is on 12 medicines, 3 of which have parameters with the blood pressure.  She can no longer be on Metformin (I can't remember if it is due to the CHF or the csirhosis (sp?) of the liver that makes it counter-indicated) so her insulin needs are all over the damn place...and that is mainly because her husband doesn't understand that she has to actually watch what she eats.  We do have aides that come three days a week while he is at work for a total of 27 hours a week.  She also has an RN comes 2 times a week through a home health agency.  It is far from an ideal situation because neither she nor her husband are really capable of watching her health and she keeps winding back in the ER because of it.  On the flip side, the cost of someone around the clock is not doable and neither is a skilled nursing facility.   

I do not have the ability to move my mom in with me.  First, I work full time so she would still be alone all day long.  Second, I really am not willing to give up my life to take care of someone who never took care of me.  I have a lot of resentment over my childhood so I'm sorry, I am not giving up my life to take care of someone who cared more about drinking than taking care of her daughter.  Not to mention, a lot of these health issues were caused by her drinking

[gs11rmb]

I'm really sorry you're going through this Miss Tequila .  I know you had a rough childhood and are understandably resentful of your mother's shortcomings.  At the same time I do think it's obvious that you do love her and want the best outcome possible.  The fact that you're helping her and her husband navigate the healthcare system is the best you can do.  

[happyhoix]

Sept 21, 2019 4:56:31 GMT -5 hoops902 said:

Sept 20, 2019 23:10:16 GMT -5 @bamafan1954 said:

1.  She was on an ambulance stretcher.  Apparently, they couldn't just drop her off.  I have seen ambulances wait with patients before.

2.  There were no bars in walking distance of the hospital. 

3.  She made her choice already.  She chose to leave.  But she had nowhere to go.

You are usually logical, not simply cruel to those less fortunate.  There are probably a lot of elderly people with nowhere to go.  My DH is probably one of them except for me.  He has nieces who care about him, but they live thousands of miles away.  Hopefully, my kids  would step up, but they aren't required to.  

What part of it do you think sounds cruel?  She's not sick, she apparently has nobody to come help her in terms of friends or family, the government agency who might probably won't for a few days.  Hanging out in a hospital waiting area or taking a leisurely trip to the jail for a night or two sounds better than hanging out on the streets.  

And in terms of #3, she chose to leave...choosing to leave a place doesn't put some magical forcefield up that says you can't return.  I wouldn't necessarily recommend it if she can find a better option, but the option exists.

Without more details on the roommate situation, there's no way to know how permanent her being "kicked out" is.  The important thing at the moment (a Friday night) is keeping her off the street temporarily until someone can find a better option.  A hospital waiting room and a jail both sound like pretty safe options for her.  Personally I'd prefer to hang out in the waiting room of most hospitals I've been to, but having a minor violation put me in a local jail with cops who probably feel sorry for me with no place to go seems relatively fine for a night as well.

It's not as if I suggested the hospital escort her from the premises since she wasn't sick, I suggested they tell her to sit her ass down in the waiting room rather than risk lives by taking up resources she knows she doesn't need.

She is sick, she is supposedly dying from cancer and on hospice.  I'm assuming she's taking a lot of drugs right now, probably isn't mobile (since she came in on a bed and not in a wheelchair) and at 87 more than likely has to be reminded about when to take her meds and can't cook for herself much anymore.  

If she wound up at the jail, they'd probably bring her right back to the hospital, since they aren't equipped for taking care of someone like that.

I'm hoping the hospital had more charity than you do and found a bed for her until Monday, when a social worker could step in and help her find someplace safe to stay permanently.

[hoops902]

Sept 23, 2019 14:45:48 GMT -5 happyhoix said:

Sept 21, 2019 4:56:31 GMT -5 hoops902 said:

What part of it do you think sounds cruel?  She's not sick, she apparently has nobody to come help her in terms of friends or family, the government agency who might probably won't for a few days.  Hanging out in a hospital waiting area or taking a leisurely trip to the jail for a night or two sounds better than hanging out on the streets.  

And in terms of #3, she chose to leave...choosing to leave a place doesn't put some magical forcefield up that says you can't return.  I wouldn't necessarily recommend it if she can find a better option, but the option exists.

Without more details on the roommate situation, there's no way to know how permanent her being "kicked out" is.  The important thing at the moment (a Friday night) is keeping her off the street temporarily until someone can find a better option.  A hospital waiting room and a jail both sound like pretty safe options for her.  Personally I'd prefer to hang out in the waiting room of most hospitals I've been to, but having a minor violation put me in a local jail with cops who probably feel sorry for me with no place to go seems relatively fine for a night as well.

It's not as if I suggested the hospital escort her from the premises since she wasn't sick, I suggested they tell her to sit her ass down in the waiting room rather than risk lives by taking up resources she knows she doesn't need.

She is sick, she is supposedly dying from cancer and on hospice.  I'm assuming she's taking a lot of drugs right now, probably isn't mobile (since she came in on a bed and not in a wheelchair) and at 87 more than likely has to be reminded about when to take her meds and can't cook for herself much anymore.  

If she wound up at the jail, they'd probably bring her right back to the hospital, since they aren't equipped for taking care of someone like that.

I'm hoping the hospital had more charity than you do and found a bed for her until Monday, when a social worker could step in and help her find someplace safe to stay permanently.

Staying in an empty hospital bed is fine.  That's far less concerning than her taking up a room in the ER which might be needed by someone actually having a medical emergency.  I'm also assuming most hospitals, from prior experience, don't simply have lots of random beds just open for people who don't have a medical reason to be there (hence why i said she can hang out in the waiting room).  I'm not sure hospitals have a lot of procedures in place for giving beds to people who have no immediate medical issues that need addressing and simply want a bed to sleep in though.

When I say "she's not sick" I'm referring to her indication that there's nothing immediately wrong with her.  I.E.  There's no actual reason for her to be in the ER, and taking up a room there specifically.  She went to the ER because she could get a ride there via the ambulance and needed to leave where she was at.  

It doesn't really sound like the police would have just brought her to the hospital if her choices were "leave or go to jail".  If they do bring her to the hospital...great...that means she's probably getting admitted.  But it doesn't sound likely...it's not as if police "aren't equipped for taking care of someone like that"...she's old with no immediate medical issue.  I'm pretty sure the police are equipped, or should be equipped, to handle someone who is old.  Is it standard police procedure to just take old arrestees to the hospital when they don't require any kind of immediate medical care?  I would have guessed "no".

I don't much care where she stays...my concerns were #1 She needs to be off the street.  #2  She needs to not take up needed EMERGENCY resources when she's not in a medical emergency.  

[buystoys]

The hospital can't admit her unless she has a diagnosis/reason to be admitted.  They also won't be able to charge for her ER visit because there was no emergency.  It's a sad story, but it's also part of why we see these huge ER costs.  This isn't unusual.  I saw it back in the 80's and 90's when I was in the medical field.  The ER has to accept them because there just might be something going on.  The ER can then discharge them if nothing is wrong, but they can't force the patient to leave without calling in the police. 

[countrygirl2]

they had to take hubs aunt to the ER since they took her home from assisted living or face a long time to get her in the facility. they had to have an evaluation to get her in.


I am still trying to line people up for MIL, and its piecemeal right now. So far I have 4 people lined up for this.  What a mess, we have it covered except Sunday afternoon, I found someone to do it so we can both go to my class reunion!!!!  First time hubs has ever been home to go with me.

[haapai]

I just spent way too much of the last few days in the ER/heart unit/rehab floor after my 101-year-old grandmother fell. 

Yeah, there's not a whole lot of privacy in ERs, even if you manage to snag a private room.  Personal modesty is kinda gone, sensitive personal information and medical information has to be repeated loudly many, many times, and quite a few other rules of etiquette just aren't observed in the slightest.  I was amazed at what was said in front of me without someone asking who the heck I was. 

On the up side.  If you are over 100, you seem to get a room, often a private room, no matter how many 70-year-olds are parked in triage chairs in the hallway. 

[irishpad]

Our local hospital is new construction just two years ago (took 4 years to build) and I love how they have set up the emergency room area.   Private examination rooms set up in a rectangle pattern with a door on one side that goes into the outside hallway and a door on the opposite side that goes into the pod where the doctors and nurses are located.   Gives the patients privacy, ability to have visitors without infringing on the privacy of others.   Also, all the rooms in the hospital are single/private rooms so all of that assists compliance with HIPAA laws.   Always thought it was "funny" how they were so strict with following HIPAA for some things (i'm clergy, hard to get names of parishioners in the hospital) yet would have rooms where other can hear everything that is going on behind the curtain in the room.  

[weltschmerz]

Sept 26, 2019 16:52:24 GMT -5 irishpad said:

Our local hospital is new construction just two years ago (took 4 years to build) and I love how they have set up the emergency room area.   Private examination rooms set up in a rectangle pattern with a door on one side that goes into the outside hallway and a door on the opposite side that goes into the pod where the doctors and nurses are located.   Gives the patients privacy, ability to have visitors without infringing on the privacy of others.   Also, all the rooms in the hospital are single/private rooms so all of that assists compliance with HIPAA laws.   Always thought it was "funny" how they were so strict with following HIPAA for some things (i'm clergy, hard to get names of parishioners in the hospital) yet would have rooms where other can hear everything that is going on behind the curtain in the room.  

We have two brand new "super-hospitals", and they also have nothing but private rooms. This led to a huge drop in iatrogenic infections.