"Parent's cry for help"

My parent had a fall late last year. An x-ray showed all clear but I believe the pain grew to a level which my parent could no longer tolerate. About a month later, my relative visited a doctor at a medical centre on my parent’s behalf, who very kindly organised an appointment for a scan to be done and gave out a script of pain killers.

The next day I arrived early in the afternoon and took my parent to the Bacchus Marsh Hospital - Emergency Department in the middle of the night as the pain was so intense and after a Pain Injection, my parent was sent home. Later that morning I rang the ambulance the and the clinician there very kindly instructed me to increase the amount of pain medication my parent was having and to see how that went. My parent seemed to respond to the higher dosage and the next day I took my parent to see their GP, also at the medical centre, who instructed me to continue with what the ambulance clinician had told me and added 12-hour pain tablets as well. I believe nothing further could be done until the scan was taken the next day.

The day after seeing the GP, I took my parent for the scan. The following day I called the ambulance again as the pain had intensified and I believe the pain killers seemed to no longer work. My parent was admitted to the Bacchus Marsh Hospital; a bed was found for them in the maternity section as the hospital closes over the holidays.

The start of the next week, a nurse told my parent that they were being sent home the next day and I was to come mid-morning. I believe this terrified my parent who was in extreme pain and had been told by the emergency doctor they would not be able to return to their home ever again and on coming out of the hospital, would have to move to a home. This information sent my parent into tears. We did not have a home organised at that stage. Thankfully, the nurse was wrong and the physio came to see my parent the next day.

That weekend, my parent was moved to the hospital ward as it was re-opening the next day. Two days later they were moved to Grant Lodge, still in extreme pain. It seemed nothing could be done for my parent. That week I talked to the Head Nurse and insisted that my parent be seen by their own doctor. Thankfully my parent saw their doctor that evening, then received cortisone tablets and I was to pick up a referral for a cortisone injection the next morning.

The Head Nurse at Grant Lodge very kindly accompanied me to the imaging place with the referral and was told that it would be faxed to another branch where the injection was to take place. We were told that Grant Lodge would be called the next day with the time, most likely to be the following week.

Around this time, I made the 2-hour journey back to my home to be with my family and celebrate a belated Christmas and return to work. Early the next week, I received a call from the Head Nurse, informing me that no call had been received from the imaging place and on following through, discovered that the forms had been lost. The Head Nurse obtained new forms to be sent and an appointment was made for the following week as my parent had to be off the aspirin for 7 days.

The day of the appointment, my parent went to the imaging place with a bus and carer arranged by Grant Lodge. My parent was refused the injection as they told the doctor there, that the pain was in the right hip but the referral was for the left hip. My parent asked the doctor to contact the referring doctor but I believe this was refused and they got sent back to Grant Lodge.

A couple of days after the scheduled appointment, a different doctor at Grant Lodge talked to my parent, studied the scan results and could not understand why the referring doctor was not consulted and made up another referral for a cortisone injection to be given in the left hip.

The next day, luckily, I was at my parent’s house when the imaging place rang. I explained that my parent was at Grant Lodge, which was on the referral, and that they needed to call there. I am left to wonder if I had not been at my parent’s home, how much longer would it have taken.

I travelled the 2-hours back home the next day, having been informed that it would take 3-5 days as my parent would need to be taken off the aspirin again. That afternoon, I received a call asking me to come back as the injection was to be given the next day. I believe aspirin was not a consideration this time! I had been asked to accompany my parent to make sure that the injection was given.

About a week later, my parent came home to live on their own with an organisation assisting them with home help, shopping, etc. They are very happy to be back home after the ordeal, as we all are, but I feel it does raise some questions:

- Why could the Bacchus Marsh Hospital not help my parent out? I was told it was because it was the holidays but there are only 3 public holidays in this 2-week holiday period and she was moved to the hospital ward and then straight out?

- Why did it take more than one attempt for my parent to get the injection? Why could the doctor at the imaging place not contact the referring doctor?

It has been 6 weeks after my parent went into emergency that they came home. My parent has been in acute pain; the cost financially, emotionally and mentally has been enormous, it has also been a struggle for me coming up and down, arranging time off from work and leaving my spouse and child, in my opinion, shouldn’t have been necessary

I feel Grant Lodge has been wonderful with my parent and I cannot thank them enough for their care and help in continuing to strive to get the injection for my parent.

I am left to wonder what happens to those who do not have family there to fight for them?