for the Senior Cat again. Middle Cat arrived in the middle of yesterday morning and took him off. This was the monthly appointment with associated blood test. (He is on strong antibiotics because of his shoulder problem.)
Fortunately the Senior Cat likes our GP - and she seems to like him.
They arrived back almost three hours later - having also been to the chemist and the bank.They'd had coffee too. Middle Cat had even done some shopping.
When was the next appointment? Middle Cat had it all lined up. There is a row of medical and associated appointments for the Senior Cat, a row of appointments for her.
I consider myself fortunate that, most of the time, Middle Cat can deal with these things. I can get on with feeding the Senior Cat and caring for him in other ways. Middle Cat has more medical knowledge. I have acquired more than the average over the years but hers far exceeds mine. It also means that I don't have to worry about getting the Senior Cat into a taxi. At 94 he is not comfortable about using them. He worries that foreign born drivers will think he is being rude when he simply doesn't hear them well enough and also fails to understand their accents. It's a little more difficult to get in and out of cars these days too. And, I would need to go with him. Would anything else get done?
But, we get appointments for him. They happen. We have a medical system that, for all the criticisms, gets there in the end for him.
I thought of this while he was out. Someone phoned me to ask for some help in writing a letter. Their disabled sister, a non-speaker, had been rushed to hospital. Her communication device had not been sent with her. Nobody from her group house had gone with her.
In the emergency department nobody knew how to communicate with her. They couldn't ask the questions they wanted to ask of this woman doubled over with pain. They tried to get someone from the group house. Yes, they'd send someone - when they had time. How does she communicate? Oh, there's something here. Well, can you send it by taxi perhaps? When we get a moment. It's busy here right now. Is there a relative we can contact? She has a sister somewhere. We'll have to look it up but you'll have to wait until the person in charge gets here.
And what had happened to calling me? It is one of those occasions I would have dropped everything, called Middle Cat and told her what was going on, and gone in by taxi to help. Her sister lives several hours away by car. I am supposed to be the first in line in an emergency requiring communication assistance. They didn't even bother to contact me. The first I heard about it all was when her sister asked for help with the letter, well two letters. One was going the appropriate authorities to make a formal complaint. The other was going to the hospital staff to thank them for trying their best. Someone should have made a doctor's appointment before it was too late.
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1 comment:
I think it goes against human rights for people to be taken to hospital without their communication devices or mobility equipment. Ambulances won't take wheelchairs or walkers etc. with them - they say they don't have room - but these custom fitted pieces of equipment are often foldable and lightweight (e.g. manual wheelchairs). They are as important to someone's dignity and independence as the arms and legs of able-bodied people.
While wheelchair users can argue about the insulting inconvenience and essential nature of their equipment, that does not compare to the total injustice of not having someone's communication device. Leaving that behind, leaves a person extremely vulnerable to misdiagnoses, poor treatment, neglect, abuse or even death because someone could not communicate vital information.
It is outrageous that the subject of your blog entry was sent to hospital without their 'voice'. I wish them good luck with their complaint and I sincerely hope that change will be made to ensure everyone who presents at hospital can be heard and understood.
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