My mother had a bad infection after the surgeons tried in vain to help her, we decided the best thing for her was to let her go. One of the hardest decision I had to make as an only child.
The nurses in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) were amazing. We 100% support better pay for them.
They dealt with my dying mother with dignity and upmost care. They talked to her whenever they were doing something to her i.e. changing tubes/bandages etc even though she was in a coma. Three days and nights she fought until she couldn't anymore. I was beyond heart broken. Still am nearly three months later.
The nurses knowing she was dying gave us a memory box and took prints of her hands, cuttings of her hair and the pillow case she died in. There was also supposed to be the t-shirt she died in too but unfortunately they lost it to the laundry. Devastated by this.
My father and I were exhausted but we never left her side. The nurses understood this and were beautiful to us just as they were to my mum. I don't know how they do it.
The only fault we have with ICU is there was no family room, no room to take ten minutes alone to scream, cry or rest for an hour. Yes there is a praying room outside and across the hall but we aren't religious and we didn't want to leave the ward in case she died and we weren't near or couldn't get back into her.
A family room is much much needed as we had no privacy to grieve or express emotions without being levered at. Not to mention a private room to get your head down n rest for a while in the safety that if anything were to happen the nurse would get u straight away. This is the only fault I have but is a major fault in opinion. The family deserve dignity too in such awful awful times.
The priest served my mother the last rights and I couldn't cope, I collapsed outside her room. The only place the nurse could take me was outside the ward in the hall, were I was watched by the public passing by sobbing uncontrollably.
Please I ask if anything can be done to make a difference it's to put back the family room in ICU that was taken away due to covid.
"Please put back the family room in ICU"
About: Altnagelvin Area Hospital / Palliative Medicine Altnagelvin Area Hospital Palliative Medicine Londonderry BT47 6SB Critical Care / Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Critical Care Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Londonderry BT47 6SB
Posted by Michelle grieves (as ),
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