"An amazing experience"

I had an accident, a fall, and I ended up in hospital. They were very concerned about my condition so they operated on my hip because I fell on arm and my side was smashed. A few days later, they transferred me to Busselton Rehab Centre.

I have previously worked as a nurse and I was so impressed by that place; from the way they treated their patients, to rehabilitation, to every bit of equipment they had (including a ripple bed). They also found out I was allergic to morphine so I had Panadol. They were so amazing, every person that helped in that place was just amazing, I’m a Christian and so a lot of people would pray for me. They would have times where all the patients would gather and we’d have a tea and they’d have games. The interaction was so good for people I just really thank God they sent me down there.

I had to have my arm in a cuff for three months because they didn’t want to do total shoulder reconstruction as I was allergic to morphine. So they took me down to the gym and I found it was so good how they would take you through gymnasium exercises to get you motivated. It was just an amazing experience, the doctors and the nursing staff they just worked to get me moving. They’d go down to the gym which I remember was 140 steps from my room and I would spend three quarters of an hour there. I started to feel so much better and movable. They said I can take away my crutch as I had to have my hand in a cuff and not to move it because they wanted to move my humerus. One day I had to have a blood transfusion and the day after that I had an iron infusion. Every part of it they did so well. They have pathology come and see you and the diet was tremendous, it really was. They said to me they’d put me on a protein diet and they were just so good.

When I went in, it caused me to focus and so I just focused on getting well. There was a program they had where they’d say what do you want? Well, I wanted to be well again and I wanted to drive again. They even had lectures such as ‘get things out of your home’. They did everything they could do to cause you to be motivated, to get well, to look out for tripping hazards. They took me to a cooking class where they taught me to do those things to be independent. There was the x ray technicians there was a shower lady and things like that. It just so helped me. They used to say you do what you can do because the staff alongside you can do what you can’t do- they gave you that sort of encouragement.

I really improved from when I had arrived and in less than a month, I was discharged. When I came home, they sent a shower lady and a cleaning lady once a week. So I looked after myself and then finally the physio was terrific. After 3 months, my doctor got them to have another Xray of my shoulder where they told me to take off my cuff and gave me exercises to do. I’m right on top now and 3 months after my discharge, I got into my car and drove to Bunbury and I thought to myself about how I can drive to all those things now. I’m so grateful to them. I left rather quickly because they did a quick assessment, but now that I’m driving again, I want to take a big bouquet of flowers and chocolate to them for the way they run that place.