Extracted from the Facebook Page of SURVIVING OUR HARSH ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT
Yesterday my grandmother was admitted into one of the District hospitals. Her caretaker (one of her children) left three new house dresses, two new night gowns, a new pair of bedroom slippers in the suitcase next to her bed until a plastic clothes locker could be bought. With a permanent marker and in large print my mother marked her name and ward. My mom while on the ward saw a box of cereal on top of the refrigerator. Knowing that my grandmother doesn’t eat that she asked what is served for breakfast. The nurse asked her “what do you want to know that for?” and did not disclose that info.
They said that since my grandmother was new, she might want to walk off or give trouble so they restrained her to her bed by tying her hands and around her waist. While we understood that we wondered if she would be in those restraints all day and night without a chance to walk around but we figured that since she still uses the bathroom on her own, she would get mobility when she had to go there and also for showers. However, the nurse then informed the caretaker and my mother that they were to buy diapers for her and they said well she uses the bathroom on her own and she said well we will put her in diapers. Water settled in my mother’s eyes at the thought of leaving her mother there, it was hard decision. The nurse saw her and said “what are you crying for? Ppl have to die” My mother told her “she is my mother and it is difficult for me to leave her here”.
Today when we went to visit, my grandmother was drugged and unresponsive for the most part only saying “yes” when she heard “grandmother” at one time. The hand restraints were gone but she was still tied around the waist. The locker was brought and when the suitcase was opened to transfer the clothes, apart from a clean nightgown she was wearing (dirty one was put in clothes basket to be collected and taken home for washing) NOT ONE WAS in there, only the panties remained. The bedroom slippers were gone too. So we were like who could take those things, no one on the ward is allowed to get off of the bed so it couldn’t be any of the old ppl. When we questioned one of the nurses on duty, she said that she had just come on duty so she didn’t know but the one who was there yesterday, she was very cold and said that they prb got mixed up in the laundry for the other patients, so i was like how could they get mixed up if they were not worn, were in a suitcase plus there is a sign over her bed saying not to remove her clothes to take to the laundry? the nurse looked vexed and did not respond, so i went outside so as to “not make bad” for my grandmother according to the caretaker.
The caretaker noticed a large black and blue mark on her arm so she asked why my grandmother’s arm was like that, if she was being difficult. The nurse said “what it is yu trying to say? you come asking me about bruises on her arm and if she was being difficult? what are you trying to say?” so the caretaker said, no i don’t mean it that way but yesterday there were no bruises and her arm looks bad, so the nurse then said that they had to take blood and she wouldn’t keep still to get that done, hence a number of puncture marks and bruises. well the nurse was as cold as a freezer. However, just before the others left (as i was still outside) the shoes were found (i wonder why they were out of her suitcase and away from her bed?)
I just pray that the Lord will protect all patients, especially the elderly and differently able, under the care of nurses and that genuinely good nurses would look after them.
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