I have questions for the candidates.
1. Recently my 76 year old mother had two operations at Wairau Hospital for bowel cancer. She now has an ileostomy which comes off frequently and randomly (anything from 5 times a day to, if she's lucky occasionally it stays on for three days). It is positioned in such a way that she cannot see it. She has nerve damage to her right hand (she is right handed) so she cannot feel it. She cannot change the bag herself and needs access to trained medical assistance to change the bag at any time 24hours a day. She is currently on the recommendation of her surgeon in Ashwood Park resthome in Blenheim. Initially she was paying for this herself but at present Support Works is paying her costs, to be reviewed at the beginning of October. She may be able to have reversal surgery, but that is as yet not confirmed. What do you see as the best option for people such as my mother for their ongoing care?
2. There is currently a huge disparity between the support offered in people's homes after surgery and due to illness between those people who have an accident where ACC pays for a very good level of home assistance, housework, cooking meals etc compared to when a person has cancer or other illness. In the case of illness or post operatively, if there is one able bodies person at home, they are expected to cope. Do you see any way to improve that situation?
Valerie
Candidate Answers
Candidate
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Awaiting response
Hello Valerie,
I\'m sorry to hear of your mother\'s plight. I am assuming that your mother had her hand damaged before her surgery, in that case I would consider that the surgeon should have made allowances for this when placing the bag. I would suggest that you contact her GP and then the Health & Disability Commissioner for advice on what actions to take on this omission, if that is what it was.
As to her ongoing care, as long as she is unable to care for herself, then she needs to be in an environment where 24 hour care is available, given the unpredictablilty of her condition. Unfortunately home based care cannot be 24 hour and even if she had a carer coming in 4 times a day it may not work.
The disparity between ACC and illness related disability has long been an issue and the only way to improve this is for well targeted services to be available in the home. This will require more funding fron government. At a time when funding is being squeezed, we can only do our best ot improve existing services. Not a very satisfactory reply, but this is the reality the Board has to work with.
Glenys MacLellan
