Joseph was a 90-year-old man who entered a hospital in 2009 with cardiac problems. The hospital was highly ranked and well respected, and Joseph and his family expected top-notch care. The family made it clear to the medical staff that Joseph had a severe hearing impairment, but despite their repeated warnings, the most the staff did was place a sign over his bed indicating that he was hard of hearing. No assistive-listening devices were ever offered. Joseph's physicians interpreted his blank looks as they talked to him to mean that he was no longer lucid, and they attempted to coerce his family into signing a Do Not Resuscitate order under the theory that there was no point in resuscitating a man whose mind was gone. The family became furious and refused, stating to the physicians that they were sure Joseph was lucid based on their conversations with him; he simply could not hear what the physicians were saying. Even so, no assistance was ever offered to Joseph or his family, and because no one in the family knew he was entitled to assistance, they never demanded it.
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