Should the elderly be hospitalized if they have corona?

My 70 year old mother in law with emphysema died a few years ago. She loved life and did everything possible to live and enjoy every minute. She lived 10 years past what the doctors thought she would. Again, it's not for others to decide...especially with a virus that for most is fairly mild.

I know several young and healthy who mooch off the savings of their elderly relatives or are dependent on tax payers. Perhaps we should evaluate by what people contribute? Maybe prisoners should be left to die? People on welfare? Why stop at the elderly?

 

The staff can catch it from an otherwise healthy middle aged patient with the virus as well. So the part of your case about the staffs right to life doesn't hold up. This leaves you with the elderly being a burden to society. But generally and in a practical sense, they are not a burden, because they, their families and their insurance pays for their care. In a human sense, we can never do too much for our Parents, Grand and Great GrandParents. Every day is a gift.

 

Another line of work maybe?

 

If I'm the person with triage authority in the triage tent outside of the hospital, and you're 95 and smoked Pall Mall most of your life, and present with Wuhan virus or Ebola river virus symptoms, you're not going inside the hospital but to a military folding cot in another tent and you're gonna die but with sufficient pain killers to keep you out of agony. You're not getting kicked to the curb because you have no money. The hospital bed you would have taken is going to someone who has a possibility of survival based on the decider's experience, gut feeling, and lastly, their education -- but experience and the gut hunch are far more important than the education.

The physician or nurse with triage authority makes the decision on the spot no questions asked, not the government.

If two patients are 70 and present with corona, and they appear to be equal in survivability, but there's only a bed for one, I'm going with the gut hunch to decide who gets the bed and a chance.

 

No, I don't think that is reasonable and I don't believe any of the clinical colleagues I've worked alongside in healthcare would think it reasonable either. Admitting a patient with an infectious disease shouldn't pose significant risk to the lives of staff (any more than countless other things they're expected to do) and even if a patient can't be saved, they deserve end-of-life treatment to make them as comfortable as possible. Even if that isn't in a hospital, someone would need to give them that care so you'd have to deny a lot more than emergency admission to protect younger people.

 

Grey nomads asked to stay home and not travel north for Australian winter.

“Pressure on flying doctors
Few hospitals in the area have intensive care beds and doctors fear it could put undue pressure on air services to fly patients to the major centres.


Rural doctors fear an outbreak of COVID-19 could overload the Royal Flying Doctor Service with transfers to the major centres.(Supplied: RFDS)
Rural Doctors' Association of Queensland president Clare Walker said patients who required intensive care would likely need to use the Royal Flying Doctor Service to transfer to the east coast.

"They may not be at the top of the list and it may be that they are stuck in a town a long way from their family," Dr Walker said.

"They may even need to be palliated and they might die in a place that is far from where they live."”

 

And to think Right wingers actually argued with my assertion of Trump concocted death panels.

Cuomo needs 40000 ventilators, Trump FEELS he doesn't need that many, sends 4000. Therefore, a 90FRICKEN percent DEATH PANEL.

With right wingers thinking the old folks have ben here long enough. Right wingers would send us all over 65 out on icebergs, to save themselves some cash, or stuff, or Social security. ABSOLUTE lack of ANY compassion.

 

Just line them up and shoot them all in the head. Bulldoze them into pits. Since you are so humane and all.

 

Ask the Italian physicians if they had any choice about using triage to pick the best candidates for survival and not lose scarce resources on those who had slim to none chances.

 

HAd any choice depends on if there are any ventilators. Which Trump gave 10 mutherflackin percent of to NY. So, 90% of them must die, cuz Trump had a FEELING they only needed that many.

 

You understand there ain't enough yet but they're coming, and even David Copperfield can't make them appear from out of nothing.

 

That's their choice.

 

You and Paul Redeker would be best buds
Goggle him and his plan orange..

 

So he too is interested in protecting young nurses, with children at home, from people with corona nearing the end of their lives?

Or are you another one accusing me of advocating mass murder?

 

It is society's choice. Some decisions in life require hard choices.

Grownups know that.

So does this New York hospital.


https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.va...edical-workers-forced-to-decide-who-lives/amp

 

I've seen some straw men in my time, but.you take the blue ribbon.

 

I wouldn't send anyone out onto icebergs. But as for people who deliberately mischaracterize my arguments to make cheap points and make themselves look good, it might cross my mind. You would endanger an entire team of 19 year old nurses' aids, with little kids at home, to try to save one person with Corona nearing the end of his life anyway. Who's the immoral one here?

 

So you're saying that old people should be thrown out of airplanes? How cruel!

 

It would be nice if just one poster criticizing my view would acknowledge that these are not normal circumstances.

Unless you or my other critics actually work in an ICU, now, right now, dealing with THIS crisis, save your pious bloviating.

Thank you.

 

1. I think both can be true at the same time.

2. If you don't want to come in to close proximity to deadly diseases choosing a career in the medical field is a pretty stupid thing to do. If the conditions in your job become intolerable for you, you are free to quit at any time. Until then whoever comes through the door of your business is a customer of your employer and is your responsibility.

No one is being forced to do things agsinst their will.
And if we are going to pick who lives and dies i suggest we start in prisons..
After all no one shoukd have to risk their lives to treat that scum? Right.

Ohh then how about them Jews? Or maybe homosexuals? Or people who wear blue on Tuesdays?

There is no greater time to display our "humanity" than during this emergency.

Seriously look up Paul Redeker you'd find his fictitious story facinating..

Shedding our humanity now for the greater good could hace catastrophe unintended consequences.

 

No one is immoral, i see, understand and sympathize with your point. I just think it's dangerous.

 

Of course it's not normal. That doesn't mean any wild suggestion is automatically correct though.

Do you work in an ICU right now? I don't see your opinion is somehow more valid that anyone else's.

 

Bye bye david...

 

And you're how old?

 

Why is there more danger to those healthcare providers from an elderly patient than from a very young patient?