He cruelly dismissed a mentally ill, helpless patient.
As a matter of public interest, we would like to share our documented experience with Dr. Irwin Malament DPM of Irwin B. Malament DPM, PC, on behalf of our father, a 90 year old former patient of over 5 years whose name will remain anonymous.
In a letter dated June 17, 2019, our family was notified that our father had been summarily dismissed by Dr. Malament’s practice for being increasingly disrespectful and rude to his staff. Obviously, nobody deserves to be treated in such a manner, but it’s one thing if the rude behaviour was intentional or deliberate, which in the case of this patient, was absolutely not the case…
Formerly an appointment human rights commissioner in his home state, who spent much of his career fighting for justice, tolerance, and respect for all, several years ago was diagnosed with dementia. The condition is progressive. It is now acute and has been progressing rapidly in recent years. This terrible disease has impacted cognitive function, which impacts communication causing uncontrollable and involuntary language, including disrespective and otherwise completely inappropriate language.
However, Dr. Malament and his office showed no compassion for this devastating condition. You would think that as a licensed medical practitioner, he and the staff would be highly sensitive and adequately trained to properly treat elderly people in the practice who suffer from medical conditions, including dementia. Unfortunately, this is not the case.
No courtesy phone call or advanced notification was given to the family of the patient, prior to his dismissal. A follow up visit scheduled six weeks in advance was immediately canceled. No referral was provided to another physician who was better suited to handle the condition of the patient. It was as if the inconvenience of his uncontrollable mental illness totally eradicated their long-standing patient-doctor relationship.
Dr. Malament closed his letter with, “I am sorry this relationship must end on these terms.” However, we don’t believe that his “apology” was at all sincere. If Dr. Malament was truly “sorry”, one would assume that at least some effort would have been made by his office to facilitate the transition of the patient to another provider. No such help was ever provided.
The cruel summary dismissal of this helpless patient was cowardly and pathetic. At a minimum, it was handled in the most unprofessional manner. Dr. Malament, and his medical practice group, are completely void of empathy, not only for this patient, but it reflects an inability to care for geriatric patients and their families, or anyone whose loved ones suffer from debilitating illnesses.