Don't trust hospital staff....

.... to honor Do Not Resuscitate orders.

Friends of my Mother came for lunch today. One of the stories which was told, was about a 95 year old mutual friend of theirs who went into a coma when in the hospital.

Despite the fact that she was DNR, they revived her.

This woman's son is a medical doctor. He was not happy. She has had a good life, living by herself in her home until about a year ago. She has had a couple of strokes, so her quality of life is declining, so it's no time to want to prolong things.

I had this same problem when my Mother collapsed at the rehab hospital. She was a DNR, they had it in the back of her chart, but apparently no one pays much attention to these things.

When she was transferred to the hospital after collapsing, I kept telling the staff she was a DNR.

It's not that I wanted my Mother to die, but the thought of her dying and then her being revived (by lord only knows what means), was not what we, or she, wanted. Furthermore, she herself had initiated the DNR after my father died.

The hospital staff told me if she was a DNR she would have a blue wristband. I went to check. No such wristband.

There needs to be better procedures.

But, medical staff is taught only to save and revive people, not to let them die.

Well, it's best to just stay out of hospitals.

Just in general.