An update on my activities: This past week have sent a lot of mail out to people I thought might be interested in the negligent treatment given my husband in Care Facilities over the period of 4 years before his death. As a resultI have a meeting with the Member of Parliament for our area the week after next. I have documentation and photos to get ready for her. Since my husband received the order of Canada, one of the highest honours given by the government, and since there has been a fair amount of press on his death, I thought the timing was right. Still trying to interest an award-winning newspaper columnist, but haven' t heard back from her yet. The outrage I feel on how vulnerable patients are treated in the system is even stronger than the grief I feel because there is relief in his passing that his suffering is over.
We all need to be strong and advocate for our LO'S who can't speak up for themselves. I have had an unfortunate event here with a private hospital in our area these last two days. My DH has had lower stomach pain when his bladder starts to fill up, and it has gotten to the stage he was in bad distress with having to toilet every 10 mins. or so, finally got a Dr. to see him and he booked him into a private hospital as we have private cover, that was Monday. Yesterday(Tueday) the hospital rang and said they didn't have a "suitable " room for him seeing as he was coming from a N/H, today the ambulance was booked after they said at the hospital they had a room, only to ring me half way over to the hospital (230 klms away) and say that that room wasn't suitable as DH may have a weak immune system coming from a N/H. I was so angry I felt like say he hasn't got scabies and I could spray him down with disinfectant if they wished, so I have to wait and see what tomorrow brings and therefore he spends two more days in pain. We have paid into this private scheme for twenty years and rarely used it and it's not cheap. I am very angry and next time he has to go to hospital I will bring him home and not tell the hospital he's from a N/H.
mary75--good to hear from you and that you are still fighting the good fight even though Eric has passed. What you are doing is important for so many people.
With your husband having earned the Order of Canada which is not bestowed on many and you set up to meet your member of parliment (MP) and the documentation you have gathered - you have put yourself into a position of strength to make an impact. Your husband would be proud and frankly so am I.
I wish you luck. The one comment I would make is that spending extra money to fix this is not the actual issue which would be something the government would not be receptive to either regardless how much they nod.
The issue as you have already articulated is the vulnerability of those in the system. That issue is tighter regulation of what is required of these institutions and that doesn't necessarily involve requirements for extra funding. It's also a popular thing for the government to be seen doing especially now that the demographics have started changing (boomers turning 65). The government seen to be doing something now can be a benefit to them in future elections where the issue to close to the heart of that growing segment that also vote.
I wonder also how the other members of the OC would react to seeing this example of how Canada treats even the honoured among us.
Syliva, Sounds like that private hospital didn't want to be bothered with him..I would remind them of the first order of business in health care..." FIRST DO NO HARM" and it seems they did him plenty of harm letting him be in that state of pain..What they never heard of isolation if they are worried about some contagious disease process??