Chapter 516 - We Are Not Travelling Well
On the day of my last post she dismembered a small pillow into which she once kept the DuoDopa pump while she was in bed. It seems it was too large for the task. For at least the following week she attempted to reduce the pillow's casing size and shred the wool-like contents. The whole eventually disappeared I no not where. the pump no longer has a "home" and she has no fear of the pump dropping out of her bed, its reason for existing in the first place.
The next night, Thursday 11th April, I gave her a Kalma at 2020 because she became unduly stressed and uncomfortable attempting to re-arrange her bed. Then on Friday I had hoped for respite but Wild Dog was "unable to roster staff" so I took her shopping in the afternoon, after some very large stools were passed, albeit with some prolapse.
Now I must backtrack, for on Thursday 28th March I called the ambulance. On waking and setting up the pump that morning at 0620 she told me she had a headache across the top. Then her right arm was "asleep" and "throbbing". She was cold. By 0700 the headache was on both sides at her temples and her feet "tight up to the knees". Then she felt "twisted", yawning without a headache at 0715 yet by 0718 her head was "about to explode". Although her right arm was dead, both could be raised above her head and her nose touched with index fingers.Right arm was "painful from hand to shoulder". At 0740 I pressed the alarm for an ambulance. The ambos checked her, including an ECG, without finding anything wrong. Given the option of GP or hospital, she chose the GP who found nothing wrong of course.
On Saturday 13th April she was unable to do any exercises (I have become very lax about exercises for her) and needed to sleep mid-morning yet late morning she asked for exercises.
Sunday 14th April she was asleep in her wheelchair before 1000, waking at 1130 to go to the loo on the Sara, but didn't talk, seemingly 1/2 awake saying "sore head", placing her hand there. Some 10 minutes later when I asked "Still have the sore head?" she again placed her hand on her head, saying "Mmmmm". Her BP readings were 154/83 pulse 63 at 1155 and a few minutes later 149/81 and 68. She was able to poke out her tongue and raise her arms. Hardly any of her breakfast was eaten this morning. She said her "head was dead", is yawning, is hungry. I again called for the Ambulance and was told no eating and drinking for her. She was taken to the hospital at 1255. Around 1430, after scans and blood tests, a doctor asked her questions and she became confused, vague about where she was and gave the year as "1991". After a urine sample was taken (a small plastic box within a bed pan while she remained lying in bed) a UTI was diagnosed, an antibiotic was prescribed, she was discharged. Her right arm remains bruised from where a nurse was unable to insert a canula. I had her home in time for the Wild Dog carer to put her to bed, then I went down to a late night chemist for Cephalexin antibiotic.
In case she had had a UTI and perhaps caused by incontinence pants and pads I am changing the pads at lunchtime and replace the overnight pants as soon as she wakes with a temporary pad. Changeover from daytime to night time pants happens about 1900. Taken four times each day, the Cephalexin finished on Friday 19th April. The following day she had taken the paper tray from her printer then called me because she was unable to find the printer, behind her wheel chair which she had turned around. She has been very sweaty this past week. I took her back to see the GP who referred her for an ultrasound scan of her thyroid, and when I attempted to make an appointment, I was told that since she was wheel chair bound, the scan must be done at the hospital, and of course that is a 2 week delay.
On Good Friday we had lunch of grilled fish at our local hall. We had a table to ourselves with one other who does not speak much and with whom I am unable to maintain a flow of conversation. Her local friend who had a mutual sewing interest said hello but sat with a table of other women. That friend often walks past but hardly ever calls in to chat to her. Her friend from Hot Air chatted with her by phone, I'm unsure who made the call, probably the friend. She has very little conversation with any one apart from the Wild Dog carers for a few minutes morning and evening. On Monday we had lunch at the Soldier's with rellies. I don't remember her speaking.
I have discarded my plan to take her to see her aged aunt, a day's drive away, and our great grand daughter a couple of days away. There have been no replies to my queries to motels about their "accessible" rooms and I accept that as a caution not to stress her with long trips and myself as well with driving, let alone planning and packing the car with the sling lifter (a $5000 investment for when needed), wheel chair, commode, incontinence aids and bedclothes. She does not seem perturbed by not going on these "holidays", she is passively accepting her lot more than ever. And I'm becoming depressed more and more. I have spent this entire day emailing recent medical reports about her to Wild Dog Care for them to keep in their records about her, an email regarding whether the maintenance for her DuoDopa pump fitting can be done at home rather than needing transport to West Beer and writing this blog entry.
The issue of medical reports to Wild Dog arose because I dropped a bucket on them recently, one point of which was why they insisted on having a nurse give her a once or twice per year check over without giving us back a copy of a report.
Following is my list of gripes to which I received a satisfactory reply:
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1. A trivial matter that illustrates reporting problems in our monthly statements from Wild Dog. A sheet "How to read your Wild Dog statement" was attached by some well meaning person to our March statement. On that sheet is illustrated that "DD" means direct debit and "CASH" means all other payment methods. So far in this financial year all of our payments have been reported as "CASH" even though our payments have always been made by direct debit. Spot checking in previous financial years shows payments sometimes reported as DD, Cash and without any such classification at all.
2. In the February statement, tucked away within the usual excessive amount of detail, there is a line item as follows "26-Feb-19 Purchase of items from Package 1 EACH $14.74 $14.74", a line very easy to miss and for a trivial amount. I was unable to figure out what we may have requested to be purchased out of Package funds. TL advised me that was payment for tolls on the M5 on our trip to CC Hospital on 31/01/19. That is the date shown for the trip on the January statement when actually the trip was on the previous day, Wednesday 30th January. So 26th February is simply the date of the item entry with an Invalid description of no relevance to a Wild Dog client (sorry, we're "customers"these days).
3. Toll charges on our trips to Wild Dog and CC concern me. I had assumed that toll charges for the trips, usually 4 or 5 each year, were bundled into the stated travel charges, or perhaps they were overlooked in Wild Dog's accounting. Anyway, the toll charges for the trip to CC Hospital in January 2018 were shown as a line item. I queried why the tolls were about $29 rather than about $10 (that is a toll each way going and coming over the section of M5 traveled). The extra charge was the penalty for travelling on a toll way without an E-tag. Until told otherwise I had assumed Wild Dog vehicles had E-tags fitted. I understand it is not Wild Dog's policy to fit E-tags and the only way to avoid P's plan being billed the penalty fee is for me to remove my private E-tag and temporarily fit it to Wild Dog's vehicle, then claim back from P's plan the toll through Wild Dog. My understanding is that an E-tag is free, at least for private use, except that a positive balance must be kept in an account. Wild Dog is negligent in this matter.
4. Wild Dog's vehicles are usually covered in fine dust from travelling on country roads. The dust is very difficult to remove from clothing. In order to get P in and out of a vehicle a slider board is needed and in assisting her my clothes are covered in patches of the dust which cannot be removed by rubbing. So I go in and out of hospitals and specialist rooms looking like a country hick from Our Town. The Wild Dog banners on dirty vehicles clearly advertise the fact that Wild Dog has little care about their public image.
5. Quite often a Wild Dog driver needs to fill a vehicle's tank on the other side of town before driving us to Big Smoke. Some time is wasted on an expensive round trip to Sydney.
6. We have been told that Wild Dog must have P checked by a nurse at least once each year. I do not object to this, even though P sees a neurologist at least 4 times each year, an ophthalmologist twice each year, an optometrist once or twice each year, a podiatrist once a month, other allied medical professionals as needed and I almost forgot, her GP at least once each month. When I ask for a report from Wild Dog's nurse I am told that such is not available because such a report is not made. So is only a box ticked on some government form so that Wild Dog complies with some government regulation? What is the worst that can happen if the nurse does not check P's health? We are happy to supply P's medical reports to Wild Dog should they be required.
7. I have often asked why Wild Dog's carers always write their theoretical departure time at the end of each visit's log report. A recent suggestion was to identify the time from which they are no longer on our premises, and that means in my mind the time after which they are no longer responsible for the welfare of a client. However, that time is often written as the scheduled departure time rather than the time they actually leave. And anyone that has been involved in giving P mild physio didn't fill in a report at all.
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The next night, Thursday 11th April, I gave her a Kalma at 2020 because she became unduly stressed and uncomfortable attempting to re-arrange her bed. Then on Friday I had hoped for respite but Wild Dog was "unable to roster staff" so I took her shopping in the afternoon, after some very large stools were passed, albeit with some prolapse.
Now I must backtrack, for on Thursday 28th March I called the ambulance. On waking and setting up the pump that morning at 0620 she told me she had a headache across the top. Then her right arm was "asleep" and "throbbing". She was cold. By 0700 the headache was on both sides at her temples and her feet "tight up to the knees". Then she felt "twisted", yawning without a headache at 0715 yet by 0718 her head was "about to explode". Although her right arm was dead, both could be raised above her head and her nose touched with index fingers.Right arm was "painful from hand to shoulder". At 0740 I pressed the alarm for an ambulance. The ambos checked her, including an ECG, without finding anything wrong. Given the option of GP or hospital, she chose the GP who found nothing wrong of course.
On Saturday 13th April she was unable to do any exercises (I have become very lax about exercises for her) and needed to sleep mid-morning yet late morning she asked for exercises.
Sunday 14th April she was asleep in her wheelchair before 1000, waking at 1130 to go to the loo on the Sara, but didn't talk, seemingly 1/2 awake saying "sore head", placing her hand there. Some 10 minutes later when I asked "Still have the sore head?" she again placed her hand on her head, saying "Mmmmm". Her BP readings were 154/83 pulse 63 at 1155 and a few minutes later 149/81 and 68. She was able to poke out her tongue and raise her arms. Hardly any of her breakfast was eaten this morning. She said her "head was dead", is yawning, is hungry. I again called for the Ambulance and was told no eating and drinking for her. She was taken to the hospital at 1255. Around 1430, after scans and blood tests, a doctor asked her questions and she became confused, vague about where she was and gave the year as "1991". After a urine sample was taken (a small plastic box within a bed pan while she remained lying in bed) a UTI was diagnosed, an antibiotic was prescribed, she was discharged. Her right arm remains bruised from where a nurse was unable to insert a canula. I had her home in time for the Wild Dog carer to put her to bed, then I went down to a late night chemist for Cephalexin antibiotic.
In case she had had a UTI and perhaps caused by incontinence pants and pads I am changing the pads at lunchtime and replace the overnight pants as soon as she wakes with a temporary pad. Changeover from daytime to night time pants happens about 1900. Taken four times each day, the Cephalexin finished on Friday 19th April. The following day she had taken the paper tray from her printer then called me because she was unable to find the printer, behind her wheel chair which she had turned around. She has been very sweaty this past week. I took her back to see the GP who referred her for an ultrasound scan of her thyroid, and when I attempted to make an appointment, I was told that since she was wheel chair bound, the scan must be done at the hospital, and of course that is a 2 week delay.
On Good Friday we had lunch of grilled fish at our local hall. We had a table to ourselves with one other who does not speak much and with whom I am unable to maintain a flow of conversation. Her local friend who had a mutual sewing interest said hello but sat with a table of other women. That friend often walks past but hardly ever calls in to chat to her. Her friend from Hot Air chatted with her by phone, I'm unsure who made the call, probably the friend. She has very little conversation with any one apart from the Wild Dog carers for a few minutes morning and evening. On Monday we had lunch at the Soldier's with rellies. I don't remember her speaking.
I have discarded my plan to take her to see her aged aunt, a day's drive away, and our great grand daughter a couple of days away. There have been no replies to my queries to motels about their "accessible" rooms and I accept that as a caution not to stress her with long trips and myself as well with driving, let alone planning and packing the car with the sling lifter (a $5000 investment for when needed), wheel chair, commode, incontinence aids and bedclothes. She does not seem perturbed by not going on these "holidays", she is passively accepting her lot more than ever. And I'm becoming depressed more and more. I have spent this entire day emailing recent medical reports about her to Wild Dog Care for them to keep in their records about her, an email regarding whether the maintenance for her DuoDopa pump fitting can be done at home rather than needing transport to West Beer and writing this blog entry.
The issue of medical reports to Wild Dog arose because I dropped a bucket on them recently, one point of which was why they insisted on having a nurse give her a once or twice per year check over without giving us back a copy of a report.
Following is my list of gripes to which I received a satisfactory reply:
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
1. A trivial matter that illustrates reporting problems in our monthly statements from Wild Dog. A sheet "How to read your Wild Dog statement" was attached by some well meaning person to our March statement. On that sheet is illustrated that "DD" means direct debit and "CASH" means all other payment methods. So far in this financial year all of our payments have been reported as "CASH" even though our payments have always been made by direct debit. Spot checking in previous financial years shows payments sometimes reported as DD, Cash and without any such classification at all.
2. In the February statement, tucked away within the usual excessive amount of detail, there is a line item as follows "26-Feb-19 Purchase of items from Package 1 EACH $14.74 $14.74", a line very easy to miss and for a trivial amount. I was unable to figure out what we may have requested to be purchased out of Package funds. TL advised me that was payment for tolls on the M5 on our trip to CC Hospital on 31/01/19. That is the date shown for the trip on the January statement when actually the trip was on the previous day, Wednesday 30th January. So 26th February is simply the date of the item entry with an Invalid description of no relevance to a Wild Dog client (sorry, we're "customers"these days).
3. Toll charges on our trips to Wild Dog and CC concern me. I had assumed that toll charges for the trips, usually 4 or 5 each year, were bundled into the stated travel charges, or perhaps they were overlooked in Wild Dog's accounting. Anyway, the toll charges for the trip to CC Hospital in January 2018 were shown as a line item. I queried why the tolls were about $29 rather than about $10 (that is a toll each way going and coming over the section of M5 traveled). The extra charge was the penalty for travelling on a toll way without an E-tag. Until told otherwise I had assumed Wild Dog vehicles had E-tags fitted. I understand it is not Wild Dog's policy to fit E-tags and the only way to avoid P's plan being billed the penalty fee is for me to remove my private E-tag and temporarily fit it to Wild Dog's vehicle, then claim back from P's plan the toll through Wild Dog. My understanding is that an E-tag is free, at least for private use, except that a positive balance must be kept in an account. Wild Dog is negligent in this matter.
4. Wild Dog's vehicles are usually covered in fine dust from travelling on country roads. The dust is very difficult to remove from clothing. In order to get P in and out of a vehicle a slider board is needed and in assisting her my clothes are covered in patches of the dust which cannot be removed by rubbing. So I go in and out of hospitals and specialist rooms looking like a country hick from Our Town. The Wild Dog banners on dirty vehicles clearly advertise the fact that Wild Dog has little care about their public image.
5. Quite often a Wild Dog driver needs to fill a vehicle's tank on the other side of town before driving us to Big Smoke. Some time is wasted on an expensive round trip to Sydney.
6. We have been told that Wild Dog must have P checked by a nurse at least once each year. I do not object to this, even though P sees a neurologist at least 4 times each year, an ophthalmologist twice each year, an optometrist once or twice each year, a podiatrist once a month, other allied medical professionals as needed and I almost forgot, her GP at least once each month. When I ask for a report from Wild Dog's nurse I am told that such is not available because such a report is not made. So is only a box ticked on some government form so that Wild Dog complies with some government regulation? What is the worst that can happen if the nurse does not check P's health? We are happy to supply P's medical reports to Wild Dog should they be required.
7. I have often asked why Wild Dog's carers always write their theoretical departure time at the end of each visit's log report. A recent suggestion was to identify the time from which they are no longer on our premises, and that means in my mind the time after which they are no longer responsible for the welfare of a client. However, that time is often written as the scheduled departure time rather than the time they actually leave. And anyone that has been involved in giving P mild physio didn't fill in a report at all.
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posted by Kilpike | 4:37 pm
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