Dealing with Alberta Health Services especially at the Royal Alex Hospital (RAH) in Edmonton = ARGH!
Time at the hospital with Mum today was um, what is the perfect word? Interesting(!), disheartening and going to end up costing us (Hubby#1 and me) more money if we want to ensure Mum does not become even more dehydrated or degenerate, period.
Since Dietary is fundamentally stupid I was told today that I should start bringing in juice for Mum (on top of the pudding) because no liquid ever comes up on the food tray and there is never any of the thickened juice that Mum can drink on the Ward. The nurses on Ward 53 will add the gross thickening powder to the juice we bring in so that Mum does not need to be on the IV fluids all day. Wow, are we lucky…
Of course no gravy has been seen for days with Mum’s dinner, fundamentally stupid is all I can say.
I wonder if there is anything else the hospital would like us to provide? FCOL, she is on the STROKE Ward and having her dietary and fluid requirements met seems as impossible for them as getting Mum on the Moon.
When I arrived Rosalie Gray was out and her Mom stepped away for a moment so of course a plastic surgeon came in to look at the open wounds on Jordan’s feet. The scab (deep) on his right foot came away and his feet are once again bandaged to allow healing. This twit (I call them as I see them) was talking to me until I introduced myself as Mum’s daughter when he started to talk to the young relatives of Jordan’s. Now I am older and have sat beside Jordan (as well as Mum) for over a month so I am somewhat familiar with what has been going on. This twit starts telling the girls how he will clean the dead tissue on Jordan’s right foot by debridement and how important the area be kept clean, blah, blah, blah. The girls have no idea what this is or means but I unfortunately do. Then this twit proceeds to RE-USE the same gauze and dressing on Jordan’s feet (he simply used tape to “seal” where he had cut them off). When I tried to question him (challenge) the twit he ignored me. Very unprofessional and oh I don’t know (yes, I do!) very UNHYGIENIC! I said there were some 2x4s behind him, I could ring the nurse etc. but no, this “professional” knows better. No, I am not family but on 53-07 we have all learned we have to speak up for everyone, related or not, alas we have learned that we will be ignored, told to mind our own business and the like too. The nurse came but after the exam and re-dressing. The nurse filled in Jordan’s Grandma (and this is one of the good ones) but got which foot would need treatment wrong. Yep, I opened up my big mouth and corrected her.
I made sure Rosalie knew about this “lapse” in basic wound care.
As she filled me in some issues that Mum is having that the nurses have not bothered to mention to me even when asked specifically about them! ARGH!
Edmonton: I know you, love you and I am your ambassador! 