My mother is 93, was taken to A&E by ambulance following her collapse in Church. The paramedics were kindness itself, reassuring her (and me) throughout the journey. Her stay in A&E lasted from 11am until 6pm during which time she was constantly monitored, had bloods taken, an ECG, BP checks and general history taken. On discovering that she had been born with a leaky heart valve, the junior doctor took the precaution of obtaining a second opinion from a cardiologist which was much appreciated. Eventually she was signed off to return home feeling much better, and an appointment swiftly followed for the Falls Clinic. She saw a registrar who was on time, exceptionally thorough and showed extreme kindness and concern. He didn't rush her (elderly people have a slower train of thought when being asked questions) and showed her absolute respect. He arranged a series of tests, including 24hr BP monitoring and an echocardiogram, all of which happily indicated that my mother had just suffered a simple faint due to low blood pressure. This was confirmed by the consultant himself who saw her, on time, with the results some weeks later. Again, my mother was shown absolute kindness and respect from the cardiologist and the staff surrounding him. He took great pains to explain what she might do to avoid such a recurrence and was hugely encouraging as to her general state of health. There often exists a feeling that elderly people are dismissed as not being worth the cost of time and attention from the NHS - especially somebody in their 90's. This is an total fallacy, as the service, treatment and attitude shown to my mother could not have been better. She was treated like the Queen - and left the hospital that day cheerful, positive and feeling that she mattered. She is now looking forward to her 100th birthday! Thank you Medway Hospital and staff, you have restored my faith in you.
"Care of my 93 year old mother following a collapse"
About: Medway Maritime Hospital Medway Maritime Hospital Gillingham ME7 5NY
Posted via nhs.uk
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