Then What Do We Do About . . ?

     I did not realize my brother had a severe case of Trump dysphoria until he called to see how Reed was after his recent hospitalization. He complained that the hospitals in Anchorage were overcrowded with Covid patients who had refused to be vaccinated. From Covid he launched into his familiar complaints about Trump, even though he has been out of office for nine months. You would think, as a veteran who works on an army base, if we were analyzing presidents, Biden's recent, disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan might have come up. My brother's solution to hospital crowding was that they should ration care to the unvaccinated.

    If they did that, then what do we do about those who health problems were caused by their abuse of drugs and alcohol? My son's alcoholic former roommate practically had a punch card at the hospital because detoxing made him feel like he was having a heart attack. Besides depriving others of a hospital bed, he also wasted the services of cop and an ambulance. Often unemployed by his own drinking, his use of these services was paid for by our taxpayer money. And what should we do about those hospitalized for the many health problems caused by smoking? One of the reasons my brother is so terrified of Covid is that he is at higher risk of dying because of COPD caused by his decades long decision to smoke. And what do we do about patients hospitalized because they refuse to take care of themselves, most of whom are on Medicaid? When I worked at the hospital I had patients who returned repeatedly because they refused to monitor their diabetes. As with alcoholism, the fact that it is a real disease does not remove the responsibility to manage it. My nurse son, before he moved to pediatrics, said many of his patients were only in the hospital because they did not make the lifestyle changes their condition required and/or they enjoyed the attention and room service. One patient delayed his discharge by not arranging for a ride home just because the hospital had a better cable selection.

    And what do we do about people who get injured committing a crime? fighting? in jail? reckless or impaired driving? irresponsible sex? It is a slippery slope to decide some are less worthy of hospital care than others because they made a decision not to get vaccinated. My decision was to steer him back to what he said he called for in the first place, how my husband was doing. Not an easy task. For a counselor, he is not a very good listener. As for what to do about the Trump dysphoria, I think should see a counselor.