Idjit Nursing Home Physician

Image by 7-how-7 via FlickrOn Friday my mother's nursing-home physician finally, after more than 3 weeks in the facility, decided to spend some time with her to evaluate her mental status (and this is my mother's primary medical problem). Despite my subsequent voice mail and email to the physician, I have (as of today, the following Wednesday) heard nothing from her. But I did just hear, from the nurse care manager that I hired (because I was getting NO help from the nursing home physician or social worker about the best course of action and level of care for Mother) that this physician had told HER that, in the physician's opinion, my mother was competent to make decisions for herself unless/until a court appoints me guardian (and that process takes 6 months, and is extremely expensive). This is just after my mother complained to the staff because they took her "telephone" out of her room. She never has had a telephone in her room. They removed her nebulizer (for breathing treatments), because she has consistently refused to permit any breathing treatments...

Reportedly, the physician is now telling other staff members at the nursing home that I should not be permitted to make any decisions for my mother. And this is despite my durable power of attorney, and despite my mother's psychotic state, her violent outbursts, and her frequent refusal to take her medication(s).

I am so very disgusted.

If my mother is competent to make her own decisions, then why does this physician not just discharge her from the facility, which is my mother's oft-expressed desire?

I suppose I should be grateful that she has not done exactly that.

The nurse care manager urges me to be patient. We are still taking Mother to an outside neurologist today (this was our own plan, not initiated by the (idiot) nursing home physician, who--get this--is a board certified internist, with a fellowship in geriatrics).

This nursing home physician is known (I have learned over time) to her colleagues and co-workers as an "odd duck," with an "unusual communication style," a doctor who should only be given the most uncomplicated cases.

I am told, of course, that this physician is "very busy," and I am very tired of hearing about how "busy" physicians are. This is just a euphemism for "important," a reminder to all of us patients, family members of patients, and non-physicians in general, that the physician expects to be treated with great deference, like a little god... that his/her time is much more valuable than ours... and that we should be grateful for any interaction whatsoever with such a "busy" person...

Yeah. I am disgusted.