Don't get admitted to Toronto East General Hospital!

A friend whose elderly mother recently spent some time at Toronto East General Hospital had numerous experiences with substandard nursing care and found a Do Not Resuscitate form buried in her mother’s papers. I’ve reproduced the form in a previous post. Beware. Paperwork will kill you, in more ways than one.

My friend wrote a three-page letter to the board of directors of Toronto East General Hospital instructing that the DNR form be destroyed, and setting out the many instances of substandard care.

My friend is being ignored by the Toronto East General Hospital administration. She is furious for several reasons.

1. This form was not signed by the patient nor by my friend, who has power of attorney over her elderly mother’s health care. In fact, my friend was not even advised by the hospital of the existence of this form. Toronto East General just snuck it into the paperwork.

2. This form was signed by a registered nurse. A registered nurse is not qualified to judge a patient’s mental competence. That is a psychiatrist’s job. A registered nurse is also not qualified to determine a patient’s diagnosis or prognosis. That is a physician’s job. So how does a hospital justify having a nurse sign a death order on a patient?

3. Worse, this form could be signed by a registered practical nurse; someone with a couple of semesters of training at secondary school level. Would you want that person deciding your mental competence, and the length of your life?

4. Despite writing every member of the board of directors of Toronto East General Hospital, my friend got back a meaningless form letter that attempts to push her off to the “Patient Relations Consultant”. Ya, you’d better be patient if you deal with that new level of bureaucracy. I’ve dealt with them personally, which was an utter waste of the finite time of my life. ‘Nuff said.

5. Ooh, there will be an investigation of the substandard care. Right. Yay. Whoopdeedoo.

6. One director wrote my friend claiming that the Hospital’s President and CEO is “talented”. If this CEO is so talented, how could he miss the big paragraph in my friend’s letter instructing that the DNR form be destroyed? Oh, I forgot. He probably didn’t read my friend’s letter, or the form letter he signed, or the faxes she sent subsequently that he ignores.

My friend’s mother served in the Armed Forces in the Second World War. This lady helped preserve the freedoms we take for granted, including those of the board of directors of Toronto East General Hospital and the nurse who signed her death warrant. The lady’s life should not be ended at someone’s whim, with the underhanded use of a form that the lady didn’t sign, and her substitute decision maker didn’t sign, didn’t see and wasn’t told about.

Whatever you do, don’t get admitted to Toronto East General Hospital. Caring and compassion, my ass.

This is medical care under McGuinty and his Fiberal minions in Ontario. Substandard, and a hospital can sign a form to kill you off so you won’t jack up their already-high mortality statistics.

Can we get DNR forms signed on McGuinty and Co.? Could be the best thing that ever happened to this province.

I wonder how Dalton McGuinty would feel if he found a DNR form buried in his mother’s papers? Or Furious George Smitherman, if he found a DNR form for his partner buried in papers?

Bet’cha those DNR forms would be destroyed in a New York minute. Ah, it’s good to be the king.

But the average person doesn’t stand a chance in McGuinty’s Onscario.

BEWARE! Especially if you have an elderly parent!

If you have a relative in one of Ontario's hospitals, beware the Do Not Resuscitate Confirmation Form.

It may be signed by a doctor, registered nurse or registered practical nurse - the last to my mind being a nurse's aide - without any signature of the patient or a substitute decision maker.

This form could kill your relative. Or you.

Is this how Ontario hospitals with high mortality rates are dealing with their bad stats? Let 'em die in the ambulance rather than in the hospital? Sure smells like it to me.

Thanks to the Ontario Fibs, especially McSquinty and Furious George, for a form that allows a stranger to decree one's death.

PETA kill numbers - 95% for 2008

The 2008 numbers are out and PETA continues to slaughter animals. Ninety-five per cent of all animals going through PETA's doors are dead when they leave. Screw the word "euthanize", they're dead. Killed by PETA.

PETA has $32 million, and rehomed a whole seven animals. Seven. Out of thousands.

Read all about it...

Image of PETA government filing. Don't be fooled by the number in the "reclaimed by owner" category, deduct that from the total and then calculate the kill rate.

Pet Connection - article one and article two

Nathan Winograd's excellent article, The Butcher of Norfolk, and a day-earlier article on Sheltering News from Around the Country (please note, US).

Canada, take note - it's downright impossible to get shelter kill rates because of municipal and provincial government secrecy. Tell your MPP and your city councillor to get this information publicly released.

Terrierman - with a terrific graphic representation of what 95% looks like.

Centre for Consumer Freedom, which is also trying to have PETA reclassified as a slaughterhouse. Works for me. Take away their charitable status.

Thought-provoking New York Times article on whether your dog would be better off with PETA or Michael Vick.

H/T to KC Dog Blog.

What to do, what to do, part deux....

Which leads me to the concept of honour. Neglected, abused, dying of starvation in this society. Like a god that has lost its worshippers, honour has faded into a shadow of its former self.

What happened to honour? When did modern North America become the land of sociopaths? To quote Rosie DiManno from the March 23rd Toronto Star, writing on a far more tragic subject...”The absence of conscience is a non-correctible disfigurement of character. There is no effective treatment. In a word: Guiltlessness. More words: Remorseless, deceitful, manipulative, self-centred, callous, unscrupulous, emotionally shallow.”

Is it the overwhelming prevalence of vulgar, shallow American television programming? Can’t blame the CBC, no one watches it...except I loved The Tudors. One would be hard-pressed to find a more vicious, self-centred, callous group. Although I must thank Henry for freeing us from the Vatican, and eventually opening the way for agnostics and atheists alike.

But I digress. Back to honour...character...and the lack of it.

I know the dishonourable can look in the mirror in the morning, because they have no remorse.

How are morality and conscience eradicated from people’s minds?

What to do, what to do.....

What do you do when someone lies about you to others?
Flat-out, provably lies?

Why does a person lie? Is it simply that the person is small-minded, malicious,
vindictive, spiteful?

Does the person understand that the lie is slander, and they can be sued?

Perhaps it’s time to get a lawyer.

Sometimes I’m not willing to wait on karma.