This post was re-edited by eliminating many of the "f" words contained in the text...
This post ties in with my father-in-law who is at home in "recovery" mode until his surgery, which by the way was postponed...AGAIN for the umpteenth time...because the sore on his leg he got when he FELL IN THE HOSPITAL is not healing well. No kidding! With the prescribed medication he is taking, it's no wonder it AIN'T healing.
And their excuse for postponing the surgery that was scheduled for today? Of all the prescribed medications, they forgot to prescribe his high blood pressure pills. FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!
My FIL needed a walker with an elevated platform for his right arm so that he can ambulate around the house as part of his "physical therapy" for his shoulder.
Shoulder? That's right...his SHOULDER. Don't know how a walker ties in with rehabilitiation for a BROKEN SHOULDER, but doctors know what is best for their patients.
The wheelchair, which was delivered around New Year's Eve, was a "convenience" but it does very little for the legs with the exception of getting out of the bed and going to the bathroom.
The "hospital" had the walker delivered to our house. It wasn't the one that was "prescribed" by his doctor.
Upon calling for the status of the replacement, we find out they didn't reorder the one with the platform, because the patient "refused" delivery. He did not refuse. WE DID NOT ACCEPT DELIVERY OF THE MEDICAL EQUIPMENT.
Pardon me but this healthcare crap for the elderly is really upsetting me.
Anyhow, to make a long story short, we managed to have another walker delivered to our home.
Now, remember, my FIL has a comminuted right upper humerus and his shoulder "ball" is "severed" and "floating" in his armpit. It is amazing how my FIL can tolerate this kind of pain. That is why he needs the platform on the walker. When he is in the wheelchair he wears a sling. He doesn't wear any device when he goes to bed.
The walker was delivered to our house last night.
It came in two boxes. In other words, SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED!
If my FIL was living alone in his own home, with no family around for miles, how in the world would a 77-year-old man with a broken shoulder put together a walker with one good hand that ISN'T his dominant hand?
Not only was the boxes taped shut, but they were also stapled. Then the plastic wrap you needed a large sharp knife to make a tear into the plastic that was damned near bulletproof.
Adding insult to "injury" the walker had to be assembled starting with the nuts and bolts! And get this, the instructions came with the schematics, but the print was so small one had to get out a magnifying glass just to read the instructions!
There, I vented...but only the "burp" version. Believe me, this isn't over.
We are retaining counsel who is an expert in the healthcare industry who specializes in healthcare for the elderly. Gonna cost us some big bucks, but we have all the compiled notes consisting of a written statement from the respiratory therapist who found my FIL humped over the toilet in his room, notes from some nurses who tended to my FIL, and so forth. We kept notes of everything that the staff said. Maybe not verbatim, but enough to compile a chronological record of the events from the day my FIL was admitted into the hospital following his fall.
