"The fantastic ability to make you feel at home."

My father was admitted to the Medical Assessment Unit, Causeway Hospital recently. He is being treated for several conditions and suffers from dementia.  

Before I tell my specific story, I want to emphasise that, even before today, my Dad has received excellent medical care and attention within the Unit and the Causeway Hospital generally.  The medical and support staff are tremendous and are so diligent in their work while maintaining a caring and emotionally uplifting environment for patients and family members alike.

Today, however, has given me a new appreciation for how fantastic yet potentially undervalued the staff within the Unit are.   Having been with my father throughout the night and a good part of today, I have seen first hand how the staff individually and collectively provide first class service to their patients.  I am sure that they're all under pressure and under resourced but they always take the time to chat to both my Dad and me.  They've listened attentively and made the effort to ensure that all my questions are answered as comprehensively as possible in language that my Dad and I can understand.

My specific story concerns the personal care that the team provides to my Dad and undoubtedly to every other patient in the Unit.  Various members of the team have immediately and without asking attended to my father's needs.  No situation was too difficult or shied away from.

The thing that touched me most, however, was the genuine willingness that the team displayed when I asked them if they would help me shower my father.  The facilities within the Unit, although busy, are excellent and there's no doubt that I could have managed myself, but the team made it all so easy.  They made my Dad feel comfortable and engaged both he and me I pleasant and refreshing conversation while they efficiently helped him to shower and shave.  The whole experience was more akin to a family setting than what I would have expected in a hospital environment.

I really think that my Dad enjoyed the shower and shave, which is not something that I feel that I can honestly say about any of the times that I have helped him to shower and shave at home.

For my part, today's experience reinforced my long held belief that we are so lucky to have such great people working in our health service.  The Medical Assessment Unit staff in Causeway Hospital are wonderful people who make challenging situations much more bearable than they might otherwise be.  

I cannot speak highly enough of the team who have made me feel that my Dad is in great hands, with people who care, and who have that fantastic ability to make you feel at home.

Having told my story, I just want to say thank you to the team and to wish them every happiness in the future.