My good friend went to one after a month hospital stay to get physical therapy before returning to his apartment in a assisted living facility. He was there a week and wanted to return home. He has privacy in his apartment yet all his needs are met when he either requests them by pushing the button on his pendant or it’s time for his medication. Despite the nursing home knowing his desires and receiving the transfer paperwork from his assisted living facility they told him he was staying. I immediately drove over and the doctor was bullying him telling him it wasn’t safe to leave and not listening to him. The facility called one of his other friends complain that he wasn’t cooperating and that she needed to convince him to stay. She told them he was going to a safe environment.
In my discussion with the doctor I let him know that I was a retired social worker and that where he lived could meet all his needs and the doctor was arguing with me. I finally told him it wasn’t a prison and he couldn’t keep him there. He let me know that he could declare him incompetent and keep him. I let him know that I would request a immediate competency evaluation which he would pass. In the end he finally discharged him saying we would be sorry and he would be back. Then he said he was relying on my professional opinion as a social worker.
My theory is that the facility wanted to keep him for the 21 days that Medicare would pay for rehab. Ironically where he lives provides much better care than the nursing home. He even gets physical therapy at his place. Anyway I have decided that I will never consent to go after a hospital stay. You have more rights when leaving the hospital and a hospital doctor has no incentive to pull that unethical behavior.