Polish holiday tradition - granny dumping?

A story from wyborcza on the not so nice practice of dumping older family members (whose company is not wanted) at the hospital for the holidays.

Families can even on the eve just before dinner to bring the old man to the hospital and leave with nothing
- Christmas Grandma , Grandpa Christmas , so we call them . The day before Christmas Eve the whole branch of them filled - doc says . Andrzej Madej , chief of internal medicine at the Hospital of the Brothers Hospitallers in Katowice.

From year to year the elderly thrown in for safekeeping to the hospital is more . - Sometimes people are ashamed that as the holidays come to their house guests, they found him bedridden sick elderly person . But mostly older people trying to cram in the hospital , those who for the holidays and want to go somewhere where they do not have to leave - says Magdalena Sękowska , ward nurse Wolski Hospital in Warsaw.

Asked a friend who worked in a hospital and they say this is not new at all. Does that make it a tradition?

Selective summary:

Hospitals are used to this and call unwanted family members "holiday grampa" and "holiday babcia".

One technique is to invent symptoms ("He's feeling faint!") and calling an ambulans to take them to the hospital for tests which show that nothing's wrong. But the oldster has no keys of their own and the family doesn't answer the phone until after the holidays are safely over.

Another reason for granny dumping is to free up a caregiver's time so they can properly prepare for the holidays with the A-list family members.

Saddest part is the unwanted granparent usually tries to be understanding about it...

The saddest part of all this, is that those who currently do this, (granny dumping) FORGET that one day, they themselves will be old and unwanted and it maybe that their children, having got used to 'getting rid of granny for Christmas' will do it to them. I DO hope so.

Me too.

What a sick, vile practice - I'd be all for such people being billed for the cost of Babcia's stay in the hospital, especially where it's a clear-cut case.


It is, somewhat. I know a junior doctor who told me all about this sort of thing - they frequently get Babcia dumped for a couple of weeks while (obviously) the care-givers go off on holidays.

hey why acting suprised ?thats what you are for - no more old stupid rules.
old to their graves

now i know the real reason for the extra plate on the 24th.

I-S, without a wink?? Poland is a family-oriented culture where babcia and dziadek play an integral role. Where do you think 'babuni' mayo and ham comes from? Yes, 'just like babcia did it'. All that emotional support over the years as well. In Holland, they acknowledge that and a duty of care is owed. There is some element of truth about the OP's contentions though to what extent, who knows?

There's one way to solve this. Release the patient and have a driver drive them back home. If the family is gathered, they won't be able to hide andthey will have to answer the door.

On the bright side, it saves heart patients the stress of the holiday with all it's rich food. Thepatient might actually be safer in the environment of the hospital since heart attacks happen with greater frequency around Christmas. It could be a welcome respite for some.

Not to mention it spares guests the spectacle of having to look at an old person.


Written like someone with caller-ID who's not answering calls from the hospital until Jan 3.....

Babcia was pretty much shunned the other day. Then again, she is off in her own little world and egotistical. That doesn't sit well in round-the-table Xmas discussions.

Oh please! I have never dumped anyone at the hospital! If patients are staying too long, policy should change.

If the older person is experiencing holiday induced discomfort, shouldn't they be taken to the hospital? Especially if an underlying condition is involved. They might insist on going.

Some call it 'granny dumping', others call it respite care for people who dedicate a very large part of their lives and emotions to look after someone who is often physically or mentally demanding. After all, we aren't talking about hospitalising someone who can say "No, I feel OK".

Mind you, at Christmas?

Yes, but if you read the article linked to, it's not the older people, it's their younger family members who feel discomfort induced by ... the presence of the older person.

Like I said - wait another 30 years and they themselves will be old - you reap what you sow....