Harry, Joan and the heroes, part 2
Part 1 finished with Harry and Joan both in hospital on different wards, Harry with the geriatricians and Joan the orthopaedic team. The geriatric team join our list of heroes. They looked after Harry as he gradually improved and fed him all the things he loved but wasn’t really supposed to eat. On Friday February 24th Harry was discharged from the hospital and went into the respite bed that had been originally earmarked for Joan. Hero that he is (as Dave Jolley rightly pointed out), he’s still hoping to take Joan home and look after her …
Joan meanwhile is still stuck on the orthopaedic ward with physiotherapists trying to teach her (at 86 and with advanced osteoarthritis in both shoulders) to hop on her good leg holding a frame and keeping her weight off the plastered leg. She’s a hero just for trying, but, not surprisingly, isn’t succeeding. Her eyesight’s poor and hospital is boring; there’s nothing to do but sit by your bed, worry, and hope for visitors.
Some of the learning so far isn’t rocket science. Where shall I start?
Ward staff members don’t communicate – relatives tell one person something and it disappears into a black hole.
Acute hospitals don’t understand older people. I suspect that an important message for them is that sometimes what’s needed is function not a perfect result.
Boredom is not good for well-being.
Continuity of care is a myth.
We do get some things right in mental health – maybe we need to take more pride in what we do.
Posted on Tue, February 28, 2012
by Susan Mary Benbow