Lack of care leaves sour taste

ARDELL MULHOLLAND enjoys the company of Lilly and her home environment. 129061AD

By Grant Johnston

Ardell Mulholland featured in the Courier during Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week several years ago, over her battle to ensure that this medical condition limited her as little as possible.

Recent events have placed a huge strain on her family - something she’s devastated by and angry about.

Ardell suffered a serious stroke on February 17. Her daughter Claire found her where she had collapsed on the floor at home and called the ambulance. Ardell was taken to the high dependency ward at Waikato Hospital.

Another stroke the following morning saw her paralysed down her right side and unable to speak.

As her condition improved she spent time in other wards at the hospital and after a successful overnight trial run was discharged earlier than expected on Good Friday (April 14).

Ardell was delighted to be out of hospital and back in her idyllic rural environment on Frontier Road. But sadly she had been allocated no caregiver and the need to provide round the clock care has placed a huge strain on her family.

“It’s something I would hate anyone else to have to go through,” says Ardell (she is typically making great strides towards regaining the level of speech she had before the strokes).

Her husband Brett took two weeks sick leave from Stewart and Cavalier to look after his wife, with help from other family members.

Ardell’s parents, Dick and Gaynor Kerridge, say they simply cannot believe the lack on any caregiving arrangements by Health Waikato.

“We’ve helped out as best we can, but the real load’s fallen onto Brett. He was the one that was here 24 hours a day (incluing building ramps to provide access between the house and outdoors),” Mrs Kerridge says. “The care that Ardell received in hospital couldn’t be faulted, but to send her home with no help was incredible.”

An arrangement sorted out by Ardell’s husband and friends means almost 48 hours daytime caregiving is now provided, although only 10 hours is paid by the health agency.

Ardell says the most devastating thing was feeling that she was a 24-hour burden to her partner - no matter how willing he was to take the strain.

“I find it hard to express how that made me feel.”

If Brett had thrown in the towel she would have been back in hospital - an unfortunate situation for the health funders as well as the family. And while the family acknowledge that caregivers are hard to come by, which may have contributed to the situation, they believe it is too important an issue for the health agencies to just leave families to cope on their own.

What are your experiences with health care in the Waikato - good or bad? Please contact the Te Awamutu Courier in writing by email (grant.johnston@teawamutucourier.co.nz) or mail (The Editor, Te Awamutu Courier, PO Box 1, Te Awamutu).