Feeling sad at the NHS

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My Dad is approaching 81. For the last 2 years his knee is severely deformed, looks like rickets, bowing, causing pain & making horrific noises. His GP has resisted sending him for testing & it took more than 2 years to see a specialist. He needs a knee replacement but might not be able to have it because he is showing signs of early dementia & they might not operate because they say they can make the dementia worse. AIBU to be annoyed with his treatment?

Having a general anaesthetic definitely exacerbated my mother’s dementia

YANBU...That is very poor treatment

Sorry but YABU. They’ve weighed it up on risks and they’re clearly concerned.

It depends on why they ‘resisted’. Surgery is not automatically the best way forward, I can understand their reluctance to conduct non life threatening surgery on someone who may end up in a worse state because he cannot be compliant with meds/rehab etc. People always make it sound so easy but my gran had dementia and had life saving surgery and it was an absolute nightmare for her recovery. Every situation is different , if you think that they made the wrong decision you could challenge it but what is right for some is not right for all.

I would be annoyed if they have faffed around for 2 years and he is only now showing early signs of dementia. However, why wasn't surgery pushed for previously, as in 2 years ago?

But it could be done under a spinal not a general...unless there is physical reason why a spinal can’t be given.
The do hips & knees under a spinal every day.

DMum needs a knee replacement, but having been through all the pre-op checks the anaesthetist recommended she didn't have it done - as she pointed out to DMum, there are worse things than dying on the operating table - she was worried about DMum having a stroke, thrombosis. I would probably be annoyed with the length of time it took for your Dad to get a referral, but I think sometimes these days we expect a quick fix, when often, it's just not possible.

He has been to the GP about 8 times & kept getting fobbed off. When he first was showing signs of needing his knee replaced there was no signs of cognitive issues as these are just recent. I just feel sad that they didn’t help him & feel like he was ignored because he was older.

The reality is complex. The nhs is badly under resourced yes. However as Pp have said surgery is not always the option and age and previous medical cobditions add to risk. You can ask for a second opinion.

This is a terrible time for anyone with knee or other joint issues. The hard fact is, that for patients older than 80, the NHS is often not a great place. Your dad is fortunate you can argue for him. An option might be to fund a private consultation which your doctor should be happy to refer you for. I paid for years for my own dad's insurance for a number of years. It was not cheap, but he needed two knee operations in pater life and the waiting list for both of these was more than a year. I understand it is now much longer.