My elderly parent was admitted to FSH recently feeling very unwell and confused. They were diagnosed with influenza and a UTI and after no sleep, were sent home by ambulance because none of us could pick them up after a phone call at 5.45am from a harassed-sounding nurse.
I've got Covid, my sibling is in hospital post surgery, my sibling-in-law is 100km away. When the ambulance got my parent home, they had to walk either side of my parent because they could barely walk. They put my parent on the lounge and left there with their elderly and old legally blind partner who'd had 3 hours sleep and was already anxious and upset.
My parents live in a unit independently with support services but in my opinion, somebody saw nursing home and thought goody, we can this old patient out of our hair. I'm a registered nurse, I believe I know how they think after a long night shift looking after a confused pt. Was proper discharge planning undertaken? My parent's been there many times before, they've got notes and records. Would you send an elderly patient with two serious conditions home without checking whether they're going to get proper care, no matter where they live? Was there a social worker consult done? There has been before.
Basic health care is the right of those elderly who I believe have slogged for years and paid their taxes and deserve looking after in their old age.
Now, within days, my parent's back in FSH and I feel they damn well better get treated correctly this time, no excuses! My parent was showered by some good friends who put them to bed all nice and clean. They slept solidly using their CPAP but when they had to have their oral antibiotics, they couldn't talk, couldn't sit up, couldn't swallow. I'm sooo angry and upset.
This is not right!
"My parent not properly discharged when still unwell"
About: Fiona Stanley Hospital / Emergency Department Fiona Stanley Hospital Emergency Department Murdoch 6150
Posted by Health is sick (as ),
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