Payne's article a `must read'
Re: How senior care failed my mother, Feb. 23.
I echo the sentiments of Diane Éthier in her recent letter thanking reporter Elizabeth Payne for her outstanding story, The Fall. I wholeheartedly concur that it is a “must read” for anyone with aging loved ones.
My own father passed away in similar circumstances in Arnprior, just three days after its publication. As I read The Fall on that Friday, my siblings, spouses and I were maintaining a 24-hour vigil at my father's bedside. Though largely unresponsive, save for sporadic and often incomprehensible outbursts, he occasionally managed a few words to articulate his awareness of his dire condition, mirroring the poignant narratives shared by Payne and Éthier.
In mid-december, my father, aged 89, was admitted to the hospital after a seemingly innocuous fall. What ensued was an alarming day-by-day decline in his mental faculties, rendering his discharge impossible. Despite a battery of tests, no viable treatment plan emerged. While not confined to bed at first, his dementia had progressed to a point where returning to the limited-care facility he once called home was no longer feasible. Consequently, he was put on a waiting list for a long-term care home.
One soon became available, but a diagnosis of a urinary tract infection necessitated a course of intravenous antibiotics. IV treatment care is not available at the long-term care home, so his transfer was delayed. The IV treatment was ineffective and his health worsened. He lapsed into unconsciousness. Just over a week later he died peacefully, two months after his initial hospitalization.
The care my father received was exemplary: professional, expert and caring. The staff were attentive and very sympathetic. I don't know what more they could have done. Yet, it is evident that the implications of seemingly minor traumas on the elderly are inadequately understood.
I suspect that these reported cases are merely the tip of the iceberg and the number will grow, with deadly effect on our elderly and aging loved ones. I sincerely hope that resources are being directed to understanding and treating these debilitating effects.
Phillip Perfitt, Arnprior