"Gratitude for staff doing incredible work"

Dear Prince of Wales Hospital Management,

I would like to take this opportunity, while visiting my father, who has now been a patient at Prince of Wales Hospital for approximately eight weeks, to express my sincere gratitude and admiration for the incredible staff working within the DB2N Transitional Care Unit.

My father suffers from dementia, and it is incredibly difficult and heartbreaking to watch someone we love go through such a horrible illness. Our family visits him every day, sometimes twice a day or even more, and during this time I have had the opportunity to observe the extraordinary work being carried out by the staff in DB2N.

I am truly blown away by the compassion, patience, professionalism and care shown by everyone in this unit.

Working with elderly patients who can feel lost within themselves is certainly not easy. Many of these patients may not know where they are, what they are doing, how they are feeling or what is happening around them. Yet the staff consistently treat them with dignity, kindness and genuine compassion. They go above and beyond to make these vulnerable people feel safe, valued and cared for.

From what I have personally witnessed, the nurses, doctors, social workers, physiotherapy staff and administration team are doing extraordinary work day in and day out.

The establishment of this Transitional Care Unit is, in my opinion, an essential service for our ageing population. It provides an incredibly important period of care for elderly people who are vulnerable and require support before transitioning to appropriate long-term care, including residential aged care.

I sincerely urge hospital management and those responsible for planning future health services not to give up on DB2N. I hope this unit remains a permanent and well-supported part of the hospital rather than simply being regarded as a temporary facility.

The work being done here is far too important.

I intend to share my experience and thoughts through social media and with colleagues and contacts in local government, State Parliament and other areas of public service, because I strongly believe that the incredible work being done in this unit deserves recognition and ongoing support\.

Special recognition for Nurse Carlo

I would especially like to acknowledge Nurse Carlo.

Oh my goodness — what an extraordinary human being.

Carlo is doing an incredible job caring for elderly patients. The compassion and humanity he demonstrates are something very special. My father is truly blessed to have someone like Carlo looking after him.

To Carlo: thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

You are a living angel to people who are at one of the most vulnerable stages of their lives, and the work you do makes a genuine difference to patients and their families.

Thank you to Social Worker Kaitlyn

I would also like to sincerely acknowledge Social Worker Kaitlyn, who has been keeping in contact with our family and doing everything she can to assist us in finding appropriate nursing home care for my father.

Kaitlyn has taken an enormous amount of pressure off our family. Her explanations of the process, her communication, her patience and, most importantly, her care factor have helped us navigate an extremely difficult and emotional period.

Thank you so much, Kaitlyn, for everything you have done for our family.

Thank you to Sofia 

I would also like to acknowledge Administration staff member Sofia.

Sofia is often our first point of contact when we arrive to visit our father, and she is always incredibly helpful, caring and switched on. She provides us with the information and assistance we need and does so with genuine warmth and compassion.

Sofia may be young, but she has a tremendous care factor well beyond her years.

Thank you, Sofia, for everything you do\.

Please recognise and protect this service

There are some truly incredible people working within DB2N, and I sincerely hope their work is recognised and that this unit continues to receive the support it deserves.

Our ageing population needs services like this\.

Families need services like this.

And, most importantly, vulnerable elderly people need services like this.

What I have witnessed over the past eight weeks has shown me just how valuable a Transitional Care Unit can be. These patients deserve dignity, patience, compassion and respect, and the staff of DB2N are providing exactly that.

Please pass on our family’s enormous thanks to everyone working within the DB2N Transitional Care Unit for the service they provide to our loved ones.

I sincerely hope this unit remains open and supported for many years to come.

To every member of the DB2N team: thank you for caring for our elderly when they need it most.

With sincere gratitude and respect,

CDR family