The Divine Mrs. M had an encounter with the American health care system last week and for the most part it went well. But, I have a few niggling doubts about health care for seniors in this country.
After showing up in the ER with symptoms of a serious infection, the aforementioned patient was held overnight and at one point moved to a busy hallway for several hours before being admitted. All this while telling her it could be a contagious infection. Fortunately that was not the case, but it is a telling indictment of hospital procedures.
Four days later, without noticing a great deal of improvement in her symptoms, the Divine one was notified she would be discharged. Again, fortunately, we have several medical professionals in the family and I am able to care for her. However, without the support system, I'm not sure she would have been able to cope with the numerous demands her treatment made and continues to make of her.
The best thing you can say about our health care system is it encourages people to be healthy. The worst you can say is it has no clue about the demands of after care once the patient leaves the hospital. It will not get better as the population ages.
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