I have had 5 Dr. appointments this week!!!!! Therefore, I have spent my fair share of time in the waiting rooms. I just have to share with you what I witnessed this morning. I was sitting at a desk in the Registration area of the hospital when a very stressed man poked his head in the office and asked directions to find the girl who handled appointments for radiology. The girl who was helping me shook her head after he was on his way and said that he just couldn't admit that he had made a mistake re: his mother's appointment time and date. According to this girl, the appointment was tomorrow NOT today. While sitting in the waiting area, the same man came back and was pushing his Mom in a wheel chair. They sat right next to me and I noticed that he had a pager in his hand. He smiled at me and I said to him that it looked like he had worked everything out. Then the floodgates opened...........He was mentally challenged and his Mom had taken care of him all of his life. Now she is wheelchair bound and needs his help. He has always made her appointments with her help and they had written the time and date on the calendar. His Mom backed him up and said that they are especially careful because they have to hire someone with a van to pick them up and get them to where they are going and then return for them, and they don't want any mistakes as it is costly and they don't have "that kind of money". I was sympathizing with them and then the Mom told me that it is really sad how her son is treated just because he is somewhat challenged. Then she told me that when she was working, she had a position with a bank that required many skills and that she was well-respected. She went on to say that now that she is in a wheel chair, the respect she gets has changed and that between the two of them, they really have to fight to be treated with respect and dignity. She also mentioned that the older she gets the worse the treatment gets because older people are often ignored or over-looked. She said that she oftentimes feels invisible.
Have any of you had a negative experience where you knew that you were being treated in a less than positive way because of your age, your sex, your physical appearance, your abilities, etc.?
How can this be changed? When did we become so careless with each other??????

PS.............The Mom and son DID have the correct time and date. The hospital was wrong!!!!! As if they didn't have enough stress in their lives already........