Paul - I can confirm what JessM is saying, having spent several months in hospital at the age of 56, and being treated like that myself. As a seriously ill patient I was placed directly opposite the nursing station with other very ill elderly patients and watched them being disrespected, ignored, and left without food and access to a commode or toilet. One elderly woman wet her bed several times. and it was only when a pool of urine reached the desk that they leapt up and realised what had happened, despite her light being on to summon help when they didn't bring the commode.
As each of their relatives visited, I would report what I had witnessed and they arranged to come in at mealtimes, and for the morning doctors ward round to express their concerns. Nothing changed. I was kept in hospital until I could show I could get up a flight of stairs to the toilet, but wasn't helped to make progress to do that - it was easier to plonk a commode by my bed than take me to the toilet at the end of the ward, easier to give me morphine until the day of discharge than help me be alert, get up and move about to distract me from pain, and easier to tell me the physio would sort me out than check I was getting the help I needed - the physio came twice in two months.
The ward manager was a waste of space - unhappy she hadn't been promoted, and spent at least two hours every shift talking to her children on the phone, and checking the internet for house exchanges as she wanted to move house. She even put a bid it at a set time, so the drug round she was doing was delayed! Poor morale and staff who don't feel they are valued.
If things continue like this, I will take my chances at home. I understand why so many people fear going into hospital and claim you will die if you do. They do indeed, and now we have statistics that tell us this is a real risk at weekends. What are you doing about it??