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When its children who suffer the most? As a healthcare professional, I was reading an interesting blog. As a peds nurse I see many children who can't this or that done because there is no funding or they get rejected by insurance companies,meanwhile an elderly person who is 98 and on a ventilator ,and non responsive(brain dead) is getting her 5th. Hip surgery? Isn't that hip surgery unessesary at this point,meanwhile a child of 5 who is alert and has muscular dystrophy gets denied a wheelchair (and medicaid insurance) when they have a better prognosis than the elderly client? Or an elderly client who gets social security on top of getting a 3000 dollar pension and free medicare but we deny medicaid to the child who has cancer because the parents make 2000 a month? Tell me your opinions please
It's something that's rather tricky to discuss. Especially because many of today's elderly (say roughly those who are 85+) are members of the greatest generation. To openly say that we should cut benefits for the elderly is frequently seen as blasphemous. Do we just strip them of their benefits and leave them to fend for themselves? I don't know.
However, I will say that I mostly agree with you. Honestly, just seeing many of those are who 75+ makes me think if people were even intended to live this long. Yes, it's great that society has progressed such that the average life-expectancy is far higher than it was 100, or even 50 years ago. Obviously though, this comes with the added cost that past a certain age, many people simply become a burden on society. And the more that medicine and health practices advance, the longer people will continue to live...and the more it will cost to keep them propped up, especially as our population continues to grow. Like many social programs, it's simply unsustainable in the long run.
So, there's my unprofessional, blasphemous opinion.
I guess because I see it from another end. For example,the 90 year old who falls because she has dementia and keeps breaking her hips and needs surgey like 5 times a year? Or the 100 year old who is on a vent and has end stage cancer who is getting knee surgery,and whose family doesn't want a dnr on her and wants her life saved at all costs?(a full code)
It's something that's rather tricky to discuss. Especially because many of today's elderly (say roughly those who are 85+) are members of the greatest generation. To openly say that we should cut benefits for the elderly is frequently seen as blasphemous. Do we just strip them of their benefits and leave them to fend for themselves? I don't know.
However, I will say that I mostly agree with you. Honestly, just seeing many of those are who 75+ makes me think if people were even intended to live this long. Yes, it's great that society has progressed such that the average life-expectancy is far higher than it was 100, or even 50 years ago. Obviously though, this comes with the added cost that past a certain age, many people simply become a burden on society. And the more that medicine and health practices advance, the longer people will continue to live...and the more it will cost to keep them propped up, especially as our population continues to grow. Like many social programs, it's simply unsustainable in the long run.
So, there's my unprofessional, blasphemous opinion.
I'm talking about unnessessary procedures as in the example of the person on a vent getting knee surgery when clearly they most likely would never walk again.
LOL where are you getting these case scenarios from?
A peds nurse who thinks 'nonresponsive' on a vent is brain death? Hate to break it to you, but most patients I see on vents are under sedation to prevent agitation.
And the rest of your 'cases' are so filled with unrealistic exaggerations I can't wade through it all.
Yes, geriatric care is expensive, especially when you factor in the potential years left in their lives.
But--we also live in a time where we have very expensive technology at our disposal to 'save' the most fragile and premature of neonates...but with often dismal outcomes neurologically.
Bottom line, we're a society that cannot accept mortality, and our attitude toward death has clouded our medical judgment in many cases.
The financial inequality that you speak of is very true, however. It is definitely not fair.
LOL where are you getting these case scenarios from?
A peds nurse who thinks 'nonresponsive' on a vent is brain death? Hate to break it to you, but most patients I see on vents are under sedation to prevent agitation.
And the rest of your 'cases' are so filled with unrealistic exaggerations I can't wade through it all.
Yes, geriatric care is expensive, especially when you factor in the potential years left in their lives.
But--we also live in a time where we have very expensive technology at our disposal to 'save' the most fragile and premature of neonates...but with often dismal outcomes neurologically.
Bottom line, we're a society that cannot accept mortality, and our attitude toward death has clouded our medical judgment in many cases.
The financial inequality that you speak of is very true, however. It is definitely not fair.
You must not be in the healthcare field,because they would understand what I'm saying.
How is what I wrote unrealistic. What do you want me to write"the end stage cancer, demented 103 yo pt who can't talk and walk anymore and needs total care and on a vent whose fam family wants us to save her life at all costs and want these expensive tests and surgeries done when clearly she only has a few months,if not weeks,to live?
It depends on the setting. I'm specifically talking about in a ltac facility. Why can't we just let them die in peace instead of constantly subjected them to these things?(and save money) As I said,what sense does it make to keep operating on someone who is probably going to die in a few months? Fyi,most people on vents are alert and are not on any sedation,unless you are talking about. The Er.)
Seriously, we live in one of the greatest country in the world. Why do we constantly think that we have to make some kind of decision on who gets healthcare, and who doesn't? We should be able to care for every citizen, no matter what their condition.
If we cut half of our military budget, it would be way more money than we'd actually need to cover every American out there.
But, that would be socialized medicine, and we can't have that.
I was just tired of seeing posts about "obamacare was going to decide who lives and who dies and then they would talk about death panels for elderly. I see elderly who we should just let die in peace instead of doing all this expensive treatments.
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