I recently spent a long afternoon hiding from the nurse in the emergency room of a prestigious hospital. My sister and I were there with my mother, who has dementia, and the staff reminded us several times that only one caregiver at a time is allowed.
But that wouldn’t have worked for my mother. The sights and sounds in the hallway overwhelmed her limited cognitive capacity, and she repeatedly got up to leave.
Although the doctors and nurses were sympathetic to our predicament, the only formal intervention offered was a clinical attendant who could guard a room to ensure that my mother stayed inside, which would have almost certainly compounded her confusion and agitation.
We received solid medical care, for which I am grateful (the doctors identified an infection) and my…
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Source www.statnews.com
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