Geriatric Medical Care: A Disgrace

If you took a small sick child to the hospital for care, and if during her hospital stay, you never once saw her physician; and if, one day, you were simply informed by a social worker that your child was "ready to go home," without EVER having talked with the physician, without being told your child's diagnosis, without being given her prognosis, without any recommendations for what direction her future care should take... how would you feel?

This is TYPICAL for those who have elderly, demented parents in hospitals and nursing homes. This is what just happened once more, with my mother. Is it even remotely possible that any physician can fail to understand the importance of talking with family members when the patient is incapable of learning new information? Is it possible that a physician can feel s/he is providing adequate care by simply discharging an elderly, demented patient without EVER speaking a single word to the patient's family member(s)?

I have visited my mother in the psychiatric hospital nearly every day for 2 and a half weeks. I have never seen her psychiatrist. I have repeatedly left notes and messages asking him to call me. He has failed/refused to do so. Now, he informs me (through the social worker, who appears to know nothing about my mother or her condition) that she is "ready to be discharged."

What I hear from everyone who finds himself or herself engaged in the daunting task of helping elderly parents is that geriatric medical care is a gigantic black hole, within a system that is fairly lousy, overall. Young med students and residents do NOT want to engage in the care of geriatric patients; it is not sexy or prestigious, and it does not pay well, and it requires qualities such as patience and compassion.

Once again, I am just disgusted.