Editor:
On July 11, I had to call 911 for my mother, who I found unconscious in her home.
The firefighters arrived in less two minutes and an ambulance emergency response team shortly after that. They were fabulous, obviously trying to keep me calm to gather information and assist my mother at the same time. She was then taken by ambulance to Burnaby Hospital.
Emergency staff were able to get her in care immediately and she remained in emergency for 48 hours, receiving many different tests, a CT scan twice - the whole nine yards, until she was stable enough to be taken to a ward.
They took her to the West Wing Room 409. That initially scared me as
I know that is the older portion of the hospital.
However, my anxiety was quickly reduced when I began to meet the staff on shift that morning. The nursing staff were awesome and, in fact, that wing was kept very clean.
I cannot express thoroughly enough the consistent and attentive care my mom received for the 12 days she remained while her health issues were resolved, medications put on track, physio, and ultimately nursed to the point of doctors approving her release.
The doctors, nurses, aids, orderlies all kept me apprised of everything going on with her and all of my questions were answered in an extremely timely manner.
My mom is 97 years old and, other than having six children, has only been in hospital on one other occasion for five days, so it was quite the experience for her and she is back home recovering nicely.
I simply cannot express the gratitude for the compassionate care that she received and the friendly workers I met on this journey. They did a lot to help alleviate the stressful situation for me personally.
I praise all of those individuals that I was fortunate to have help me who have such difficult and intense jobs and I thank them from the bottom of my heart.
Patricia Tochkin, Burnaby
