Evacuee Abandoned in E.R. by Caregiver

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Specializes in Case Management, Home Health, UM.

A thirtysomething wheelchair-bound and mentally challanged man from New Orleans was abandoned by his caregiver this morning in the E.R. of the facility where I work, telling the staff she could no longer care for him before she walked out. This poor man was SO sweet...and starving, for he ate, and ate AND ate. After getting no help from FEMA, a staff member was able to contact a private individual who agreed to take him in. He was happy as could be as he was wheeled out of the hospital: "You mean I get to ride up front?", he asked with all the delight of a child.

This disaster is really beginning to hit home, as helpless victims like this man continue to enter our communities. :crying2:

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Specializes in PeriOp, ICU, PICU, NICU.

OMG, how sad. I literally have a knot in my throat. ((Gulp)). :crying2:

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Thank God she had the sense to take him to an ER and not just abandon him in the middle of no where...

Very sad all around...

What other horror stories are we going to hear?

Lori

Wisconsin

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Thank God she had the sense to take him to an ER and not just abandon him in the middle of no where...

Lori

Wisconsin

Yes, that's true. Perhaps the caregiver had her own issues to deal with and, being unable to care for herself, did the best she could by bringing him to a place where he could be safe.

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Specializes in Education, Acute, Med/Surg, Tele, etc.

It is so sad, but yes...if you can't take care of your own, you have nothing to give to others. An important fact we tell our fellow healthcare workers when they are stressed out or going through times of trouble...and well...Katrina gave lots of trouble to say the least!

I agree..at least this caregiver took the patient to a ER (and who knows..was this a licensed caregiver or professional medic...go figure if they were not they would take someone to those that could care for them and continue on taking care of what they could...) instead of giving up and leaving them tied to a pole with a ID of some sort for family....which sadly was done with many people including infants...

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Specializes in Clinical Research, Outpt Women's Health.

I think the care giver did as much as could be expected. Must have been exhausted and felt they couldn't care for themself, much less anyone else. I laud them for doing it in such a responsible manner.

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