Vicki Alexiou

Review of St George’s Health Service

My mother was transferred to the GEM ward after be...

My mother was transferred to the GEM ward after being discharged from St Vincent's with an infection. She suffers from alzheimers too and had acute delirium. She also understands very little English.Although she couldn't participate in rehab due to her drowsy state, she was left bed ridden. A physio chair that had been provided was taken away and nobody knew where it was. She was left sitting in a chair all day with her feet dangling in mid air and with no foot stool. I was told this was ok by the nurses despite my concerns .This eventually left her legs severely swollen and is now recovering by having them elevated. I had to point out the swelling because nobody seemed to notice. Eating and drinking was a nightmare and I had to attend to this myself. She only had two proper showers in the 3 weeks she was there by two lovely nurses. I don't even recall staff changing any bed linen either. Her vitals were down one night after a medical episode. The doctor decided to call me on my mobile while I'm at the hospital to tell me my mum was dying as she drove herself there but only to arrive and tell me she was OK now. Had no compassion at all and the place felt so impersonal.I still feel traumatised by this event.We need a different system in place for those living with dementia and suffering from other illness. The hospital system is ill equipped to deal with these specialized cases. My mother's condition went from bad to worse. I did not want her moved into their transition ward where I was told at St Vincent's will assist in her recovery. The place was narrow, small, dark and gloomy and hardly ideal for somebody with delirium to recover in. She has now moved into an aged care facility instead.