So yesterday I had to peel an 82 year-old woman off of the floor of a disgustingly filthy apartment and take her to the hospital. Her apartment stunk to high heaven with no food in the fridge, rotten food an garbage all over the house cat food, feces and litter everywhere, and two pigeons ahd even taken-up residence with her. The place was in utter shambles and it looked as if she had been robbed. She had dried coffee-ground vomit (partially digested blood, a sign of a GI Bleed of some type) all over the floor underneath her and all over her clothes. She was disoriented and confused with slurred speech and right-sided facial droop (sign of a stroke), which was all new and a deviation from her baseline of alert and oriented. How do I know what her BASELINE is you ask? From her NIECE who supposedly checks on her everyday and takes care of her and her cats!!! And get this, her niece was OFFENDED that we thought her Aunt's living conditions were DEPLORABLE, indignantly stating "Well, I don't see what's wrong with this apartment!" Then she told us that she had arrived at her Aunt's around 1pm to check on her, but didn't call 911 until 2:30!!! Needless to say my partner and I filed a form 51A (report of elder abuse and neglect) on her ass as soon as we got to the hospital. I don't understand how someone could let someone they love live like that and not take full responsibility for their health and well-being. Am I too idealistic? Is it asking too much that we treat the ones we love (or should love) the way we would want to be treated? Oh well. I also tried in vain to save a heroin addict who had overdosed and was in asystolic (no heartbeat) arrest when we got there, and who's girlfriend seemed more concerned about her dog getting out of the house by the door being left open when the firefighters came to help us get him out, than the fact that her boyfriend was dead. People suck. 