Aunt prefers to 'die at home' than stay at Mt Hope

THE EDITOR: My aunt who is 70 years old suffered a series of heart attacks last December and was rushed to Mt Hope. After processing and some good buff/discourteousness by the staff, she was moved to the Arima Hospital where she was treated with impeccable professionalism.

The nurses, guards, doctors and all of the support staff were attentive, informative and caring. I think aside from the fact that my aunt is a battle axe/warrior, the treatment she received at Arima helped her to get back on her feet very quickly.

She was discharged and given medication and was told to join the cardiology clinic at Mt Hope. Mind you, she was doing quite well at home and was back to her regular schedule and improving daily. She is quite independent and self-sufficient at that.

She did as was told and joined the clinic and was given an appointment to see Dr Seecharan on June 9. She was also given two weeks worth of medication. A few days ago she complained of chest pains after her medication ran out and was rushed to Mt Hope. That's where our nightmare unfolded.

She was attended to very quickly in Accident and Emergency and was warded within hours on the Cardiology Adult Ward 1. When her daughter visited she was shocked to see her mother, my aunt, strapped to her bed with an adult diaper on. Now my aunt is quite capable of going to the bathroom and doing everything for herself. She is not bedridden.

Upon inquiry we were told by the attending nurses that Aunty was "going to the bathroom too frequently." By the way, she was on drips which increases the frequency of using the bathroom. So is it best practice to slap on an adult diaper on an otherwise capable patient and bind her to her bed? Was this done in the patient's best interest or for the convenience of her caretakers?

Needless to say, my aunt discharged herself, preferring, as she said, "to die at home" rather than deal with being on the receiving end of this heinous, inhumane and downright illegal treatment.

As such I implore the Health Minister to:

1. Look at the patient discharge notes and see how many of our citizens "prefer to die at home."

2. Visit these wards as a "secret shopper" and see first hand what patient experiences are like.

3. Take swift action on those who are breaching best practices that I know you are trying to uphold.

DAYNA HITLAL

via e-mail