The Hospital Makes a Mistake

Dad recently spent a week in the hospital.  He needed to be there for a medical problem and that might have been okay if he'd been given his dementia med during the time that he was there.  I was away during much of that week on a family commitment.  In fact, I was away when he was taken to the hospital by ambulance.  It was not until his last night in the hospital [and I'd been back home for two days or so] that I found out that the dementia drug wasn't being given.  There is simply no excuse for this oversight.

The hospital had options.  Staff from his house could have brought down his dementia drug so he would have had it for a week.  His dementia drug could have been ordered by the hospital.  The hospital doctor could have ordered a similar but equivalent dementia drug.  The hospital doctor could have asked for a neuro consult if the hospital doctor wasn't comfortable with ordering Dad's dementia drug or a similar dementia drug.

I happened to be in another state.  Even so, my phone number was available to the hospital.  I did not get a call notifying me that the hospital did not have Dad's dementia drug in stock.  As far as I know, no one at his assisted living place got a call either.

As a result of the hospital's oversight and Dad not getting his dementia drug for a week, Dad decompensated.  He evidenced periods of confused thinking.  Dad thought he was being kidnapped.  He was worried about the laundry being done.  He wanted to leave.  He was not able to sit up in bed or roll himself out of bed.  He didn't know where he was.  He tried to beat on the nurses who wanted to help him with his personal care.  Previously continent, he became incontinent.

Once out of the hospital and the schedule for his dementia drug was resumed, he knew where he was again.  He knew he had been in the hospital.  He was no longer worried about the laundry being done.  He became continent again.  He didn't try to beat on anyone.  He was able to sit up in bed and to roll himself out of bed.  He still thought at times that maybe he had been kidnapped but this line of thinking was soon dropped.  Dad went back to his previous pattern of functioning with some days being able to think more clearly than others. 

Yeah, I took the pic.  If you want it, right-click to save to your computer.

  

To whoever was responsible for the oversight with Dad's dementia drug during his hospitalization, I can only say w.t.f.   

sapphoq on life