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My recent experience with RITH by Komfort Keepers and in-hom...

Posted By moonmh45

"My recent experience with RITH by Komfort Keepers and in-home respite for my spouse (who I care for ) at the same time through Carers Aust."

About: Armadale Hospital / Orthopaedic/Trauma Outpatient Clinic Comfort Keepers Perth South/Singleton to Armadale

(as the patient),

Hi.  For several days I was in Armadale Hospital following a serious fall resulting in fracture to sternum and 3 ribs and UTI septicaemia followed by a Cardiac event within this timeframe.

I was referred to RITH for care as I am in my 80s and main carer for my spouse with dementia etc. on Level 4 ACAT.  As my spouse refused to go into Respite care for a fortnight to assist with my rehabilitation , Carers Aust. negotiated, in-home respite for a fortnight through Comfort Keepers.   

This resulted in carers from Comfort Keepers being responsible for both RITH and Respite.  My relative also took a further week off work to organize everything. When she left, whilst this "outside care" was helpful , I also found it overwhelming as I often had to organize 3 carers at once...x2 for me and x1 for my spouse, and my brain was not working well let alone my body! 

To have people coming into my house and having to organize each different one to find food to prepare and cook etc. as well as assist me with personal care was not easy.

I seldom had the same person twice and was warned about this from CK staff member who came initially.  In my pretty-fragile-state she upset me initially by saying that I was written down for PC only and that did not include tidying,making, fixing up my bed.!

Some of the team of people who came were excellent and couldn't do enough to help but I felt others were very off-hand and non-caring as in every team. I found this experience was generally very good for my mental health as there was such a range of interesting people who came but at times it was a strain physically too.

As of recent I asked to be discharged from both RITH and Carers Aust. respite care.  Now, (and week 8 since my fall), I'm off some of the pain medication and managing reasonably well though not yet fully back to normal.

I would like to express my thanks to both RITH for PC and Physio care and CK for "Respite care" and for stepping- in to assist when I needed it most.

Thank you ,  moonmh45.

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Responses

Response from Alisha Thompson, A/ Executive Director, Armadale Kalamunda Group, East Metropolitan Health Service last week
Alisha Thompson
A/ Executive Director, Armadale Kalamunda Group,
East Metropolitan Health Service

Submitted on 24/04/2025 at 12:52 PM
Published on Care Opinion Australia at 2:58 PM

picture of Alisha Thompson

Dear moonmh45

Thank you for sharing your healthcare experience with Armadale Kalamunda Group.

I was sorry to hear that you were admitted to our hospital following a serious fall and the difficulties that followed. This must have been an incredibly stressful time, especially as the primary carer for your spouse.

Your feedback highlights the ongoing challenges of coordinating care across multiple providers and programs. As a healthcare community, we should strive for seamless, well-integrated support post-discharge, ideally through the appointment of a dedicated care coordinator. I wish to apologise this was not your experience and thank you again for sharing your experience. It gives us more understanding of the challenges from your perspective, the consumer, as well.

I am pleased to hear of your improved condition and wish you a full recovery.

Best wishes

Alisha Thompson

A/ Executive Director

Armadale Kalamunda Group

  • {{helpful}} {{helpful == 1 ? "person thinks" : "people think"}} this response is helpful

Update posted by moonmh45 (the patient)

Thank you for responding to my comments. Yes, as an RN myself with 20 years of Aged Care nursing experience, my expectations certainly weren't met nor was the care given to my spouse for almost a year in '23. Staff shortage in the hospital did not seem to be an issue but a proper caring attitude was absent generally speaking. At home, the main issue I think is related to what carers are advised to do and what not. I feel maybe Providers are guarding the health of their staff, maybe it's something else but I find that even those with a better caring attitude often limit what I consider a reasonable amount of care for each hour. e.g. when the client requires mainly supervision for p.c. and the whole exercise takes less than 1/2 hour there is adequate time to clean the bathroom, put on the washing, clean the toilet and empty the bins as well as make the bed and do minor things in the kitchen. I do appreciate that each client is different however, when that 1 hour is the only assistance the spouse/main carer has in the 24hour period, a "can't get out of here quick enough" or "I've got to conserve my energy" attitude is apparent, it is not at all helpful.

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