Several weeks ago my 90 year old parent was taken to emergency at Royal Perth Hospital on a weekday afternoon. In a daze, dizzy, eratic heart rate, they were kept for 2 nights in emergency, as there were no beds available on the wards.
Emergency is noisy, bright, stressful area, where they slept very little over the 56 hours. By the time they were released they were like the walking dead, confused, having difficulty staying awake, and did not know what day it was.
On the day of discharge, I rang several to find out if they were being released. Staff near where my parent was being kept, took my name and number, and assured me they would phone me so i could pick my parent up. Hours went by, on my last call in the afternoon, staff knew nothing of them. A senior nurse was not even sure whether my parent had been released or still in the hospital somewhere. They had to walk to a bed and look themself.
Eventually another nurse said my parent had been put in a taxi and sent home. They did not know when or who had organised it. I found my parent at home on their back patio, confused and having trouble holding their head up, drifting in and out of sleep, they did not know what day it was.
I put them to bed and after 13 hours sleep they were able to talk to me about what happened. They remembers the nurses assuring them they had my name and number, and that i would be picking them up. But then a new shift came on, and simply stuck my parent in a taxi. When my parent quizzed them, they said they needed the bed and they had to go now.
My parent in now reluctant to tell anyone if they are not feeling well, as they do not want to go thru this experience again.
"Discharging the elderly"
About: Royal Perth Hospital / Emergency Department Royal Perth Hospital Emergency Department Perth 6000
Posted by puppiszf79 (as ),
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