St Vincent....steady as she goes!

9.15 am Wednesday morning.

When my son and I left St Vincent last night my wife was ready to fall asleep. She has had a full and tiring day with so many new things to get used to....new routines, new faces, new bed....and the most tiring of all for her was trying to understand our assurance that even as we were about to leave her to sleep alone in a strange new bed we also promised that we will be back to see her the next morning. All that was just a bit too much for her and I saw her forehead furrowed into a frown....something I have not seen her do for a long long time....but we finally did say our goodnight as visiting hours ended.

It was cold, windy and drizzling when we walked over to our car and by the time we got home we were tired and hungry. The hunger I attended to immediately with dinner and then I addressed the tiredness with immediate sleep.

10.15pm Wednesday night.

All is well with my wife. 

Today in her second day at St Vincent I can already see what good food, vitamins and expert hospital care can do for her. When I arrived this morning she was already awake, dressed and ready for the day - compare this to her waking up around noon when at home! A new bed with the required mattress to alleviate her bed sore pressure points had already replaced the bed she had when she was first admitted the day before. 

She finished everything on her plate for lunch with gusto and without being prompted by me to eat. By dinner time both my son and me agreed that things were going good for her.

My wife is in the Geriatric Evaluation and Management unit - called GEM for short. Going into her second day we have had in depth discussions with her Physiotherapist, the Occupational Therapists, the Speech Pathologists and her Dietitian. The nursing staff cared not only for my wife but also for us...they told us about the tea and coffee room for visitors where tea, coffee, cold drinks, biscuits, sandwiches, dessert....etc etc ...were stocked for us to partake in on a need basis - gratis!    

And what will all this medical care for my wife cost me? 

Zilch. Zero. Kosong. Gratis. 

Medicare takes care of all costs for pensioners like me and my wife. 

Can you imagine how much this kind of care will cost in KL? 

First you have to find a place with this kind of care for oldies like me and my wife...and then if you do find a place, you have to find the money to get past the admission counter! I still remember the time I had aneurysm and had a relapse when at home and went to Takaful for treatment.I did not get past the admission counter because I did not have the required deposit to even be considered for admission....what more treatment! This after I left another medical establishment (that need not be named) because I could not afford to pay the bill of over RM10K and mounting after a few days stay after an aneurysm the week before Takaful.    

Why am I dwelling in the past? 

Well I am just grateful that I am where I am now at a time when it matters. And friends when someone you care for is ill and in need of care you better be able to provide for that care....and here in Australia I can do so for my wife. Thank you Australia.

And to all of you that have wished me and my wife well...many many thanks from our heart. ...for I know all the good wishes from you all out there certainly did help.