Mom suffered many wounds and sores in
her facility from abrasions to openings large enough to require stitches.
They were overlooked, mismanaged and caused many additional medical costs, pain and suffering.
Mom had inadequate monitoring of medications -- A MAJOR PROBLEM IN LONG TERM CARE FACILITIES WHERE DOCTORS ARE "ON STAFF".
Computer programs are often old versions that do not provide anything more than basic "accounting" of medications administered.
These "recordings" are often done by staff who move from one to another and then "enter" the distribution after administering to several patients -- often questionable as to time administered, dosage, etc.
Recordings of services provided are often not entered until the "provider" can find the time between being called to one and then another and another and only being the single staff person available or perhaps one of two to serve as many as 20 individuals needing assistance and all in varying stages of capability and need for personal assistance.
Doctors are admitted to practicing at the facility and as such are "employed" by the facility and subject to release by the facility.
While many will tell you is difficult to find Doctors willing to go into a facility, I believe if an accurate invesitigation was done of the number of "patients" seen by a Doctor during one visit to a facility of one hour was recorded we would find less than 5 minutes was spent with each one
I've observed Doctors moving from person to person, in an open environment of a general gathering place like the hall, or an area where food was served or patients were "parked" for hours on end. No gloves, no change of gloves, no washing or sanitizing of hands.
Not only does this violate a person's right to HIPPA privacy it also violates their right to dignity, self determination and privacy as I've witnessed Dr's using stethascopes under garments they lift or lower and other examination procedures in full view of residents, staff and visitors.
AND WE WONDER WHY DISEASES SPREAD SO RAPIDLY WITHIN LONG TERM CARE FACILITIES?
QUESTION: If this is done in sight of a "visitor"? What might be done when one is not present?
They were overlooked, mismanaged and caused many additional medical costs, pain and suffering.
Mom had inadequate monitoring of medications -- A MAJOR PROBLEM IN LONG TERM CARE FACILITIES WHERE DOCTORS ARE "ON STAFF".
Computer programs are often old versions that do not provide anything more than basic "accounting" of medications administered.
These "recordings" are often done by staff who move from one to another and then "enter" the distribution after administering to several patients -- often questionable as to time administered, dosage, etc.
Recordings of services provided are often not entered until the "provider" can find the time between being called to one and then another and another and only being the single staff person available or perhaps one of two to serve as many as 20 individuals needing assistance and all in varying stages of capability and need for personal assistance.
Doctors are admitted to practicing at the facility and as such are "employed" by the facility and subject to release by the facility.
While many will tell you is difficult to find Doctors willing to go into a facility, I believe if an accurate invesitigation was done of the number of "patients" seen by a Doctor during one visit to a facility of one hour was recorded we would find less than 5 minutes was spent with each one
I've observed Doctors moving from person to person, in an open environment of a general gathering place like the hall, or an area where food was served or patients were "parked" for hours on end. No gloves, no change of gloves, no washing or sanitizing of hands.
Not only does this violate a person's right to HIPPA privacy it also violates their right to dignity, self determination and privacy as I've witnessed Dr's using stethascopes under garments they lift or lower and other examination procedures in full view of residents, staff and visitors.
AND WE WONDER WHY DISEASES SPREAD SO RAPIDLY WITHIN LONG TERM CARE FACILITIES?
QUESTION: If this is done in sight of a "visitor"? What might be done when one is not present?
Today, reading more Rules
and Regulations for the State of Missouri and reviewing sites giving advice on
preparing for the “annual” visit by the Department of Health and Senior
Services reviewing Long Term Care Facilities,I was shocked to read the
following:
“Neither state nor federal regulations require a
facility to keep/provide a report” on pressure sores/wounds.
Here’s our personal list of
a few wounds and sores that we believe warrant specific reports generated with
or without attention by a Doctor or by an outside Medical Facility:
Mom fell, she suffered a “wound”,
a cut; facility looked at it and determined no problem; we took her to the ER
and the Dr on duty assessed a need for 5 staples. There was no entry in her
record about this “wound” from the fall.
Mom was subjected to having
a rough towel used to remove hardened fecal material on her anal area with a
rough, scrubbing procedure. This caused bleeding of the Hemhorroids and sores
on the exterior part of her anal area. Her screams could be heard all across
the floor; I know, I was there.
We noticed small sores on
her legs caused by flaking of skin and rubbing of her legs against something.
We were told there were no “sores”. Taking Mom to a wound specialist who’d seen
her before she was given specific medication for infection and specific
instructions for wound care – which was not followed by the facility.
Mom had pressure sores from sitting in a wheelchair for long periods of time; she had pressure sores from not being moved and staying in one position for long periods of time.
Mom had pressure sores from sitting in a wheelchair for long periods of time; she had pressure sores from not being moved and staying in one position for long periods of time.
Time has passed. Mom passed in 2014. Procedures have not changed. When are we going to speak up about this abuse of our least capable population of human beings?
Our mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, relatives, friends and even people we've never met are being treated as though they were less than human and even lower than some animals we keep in captivity or in shelters.
Our mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, relatives, friends and even people we've never met are being treated as though they were less than human and even lower than some animals we keep in captivity or in shelters.
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