With all the controversy going on these days with Alberta Health Services, I thought I would share our family’s recent experience with the Red Deer Regional Hospital.
I want to commend the staff of the hospital and emergency medical services for their dedication to their patients and the families of those patients.
In the early morning on Nov. 3, my father, Alfred Kerik, had a massive stroke.
The ambulance and rescue truck were at our house in minutes. The emergency medical crew were highly professional. Dad was non-responsive and they wasted no time getting him into the ambulance, even though our house is not stretcher friendly.
My mom and I rushed to the hospital and within minutes the ER doctor had moved us into a private room to wait while they assessed Dad’s condition and did a CAT scan. We were checked on regularly and asked if we needed anything.
When my sister arrived, she was brought back to us immediately. Dad was moved to a private room in the ER and they put him on a priority list to get into a room. The ER staff were unequalled in their attention to Dad and they allowed us to stay with him constantly.
Before midnight that night, Dad was moved into a room on the palliative care unit.
The nurses on this unit are a very special breed of people. Not only did they give Dad exceptional care, they treated all of us like one of their own family.
We can never express to them how much their comfort and hugs meant to all of us. Family members were allowed to stay with him constantly, with one or two of us even able to sleep on a cot in his room at night. A family room was provided for us where the others could sleep and there was coffee, milk, juice and cookies available for all of us while we kept vigil.
We were allowed to take over the lounge area when a family member brought in a meal for us. My Dad has a huge family, so it must have been quite a sight for the nursing staff to see all of us converge on Dad’s room — but they took it all in stride.
Dad was moved after a few days to Unit 33. We were once again surrounded by loving nurses, who treated us to great comfort and many bolstering hugs. Again, they permitted us to take over his room and allowed us to be with him all hours of the day and night.
Unfortunately, after a 10-day struggle to survive, Dad lost the battle and passed away on Nov. 13. Our loss was made a little bit easier knowing that he received such special and loving care and that his last days were made as comfortable as humanly possible.
The support and comfort we received from the “angels” in the ER and units 32 and 33 was exceptional from start to finish. The incredibly gracious, knowledgeable and loving staff of the Red Deer Regional Hospital are to be commended and we want to recognize the incredible work that they do there.
We would also like to thank Dr. Jim and Dr. Lee for overseeing the care that Dad received.
Alberta Health Services may be in turmoil and the state of our public health care may be in question, but the nurses and support staff that we encountered in the Red Deer Regional Hospital are tops in our book and we thank them from the bottom of our hearts for their dedication and devotion to the lives put in their hands on a daily basis.
Susan Darroch
Red Deer