Inhumane treatment of elderly patients

UK - National Health Service: A study of pensioners who suffered appalling treatment at the hands of doctors and nurses says that half were not given enough to eat or drink. One family member said the maltreatment amounted to euthanasia. Some were left unwashed or in soiled clothes, while others were forgotten after being sent home or given the wrong medication. In several cases considered by Health Service Ombudsman, patients died without loved ones by their sides because of the casual indifference of staff and their bewildering disregard for people’s needs. The damning report warns that extra money will not help the NHS meet required standards of care and that more problems are likely as the population ages. More…