Disgusted by hospital’s lack of dignity for my mother (94)

Two weeks ago my 94-year-old mother fell and broke her hip.

She was admitted to one of the country’s regional orthopaedic hospitals for surgery.

Having come through a major operation, considering her advanced age, she was moved into a five-bed communal ward which she shared with four men of varying ages.

I cannot describe in words my absolute disgust at this.

Whilst I appreciate the health service is stretched to its limits, both financially and in its shortage of beds (mainly due to seriously bad management over the years), I cannot accept that yet again one of the most vulnerable in our society, in this case one of the elderly, is treated in such a manner.

Surely the elderly are entitled to and should be afforded a modicum of respect, privacy and dignity in their later years?

My mother suffers from dementia along with other age-related complaints, and to see her slumped in a bed in the middle of a mixed ward, showed a total lack of concern, compassion or respect for her.

This, I believe, is something that happens in every hospital around the country.

While I appreciate that lack of beds is the issue, I cannot for the life of me understand why they have to put people, regardless of whether they are private or public patients and more especially the elderly, into a mixed ward.

It is both distressing and embarrassing for the patient.

I never thought that the day would come when I would be consoled by my mother’s dementia and lack of awareness of her surroundings.

I wonder if the management and those who make the decisions on the running of the various hospitals would like to see an elderly parent or relative of their’s placed in this extremely distressing situation?

Rosemarie Cunningham

Dundrum

Dublin