Patients ‘could die of stress’
Some elderly patients at Coronation and Jubilee hospitals might die if the hospitals are closed, says a Christchurch specialist in elderly care, Dr Richard Sainsbury.
He said he could not discount the possibility that some elderly patients might die from the stress, of being transferred. “It is well recognised in literature about the care of the elderly that elderly patients being rehoused are at risk of suffering stress from the anguish of being moved and that could result in their death.”
This “translocation” phenomena was associated with the anguish of moving from what patients had felt was their “last resting place.” Dr Sainsbury, the chairman of the Canterbury Area Health Board’s
geriatric services, said six months was not enough time to move patients and staff.
“It will cause considerable difficulties and place extra stress on staff and services as well,” he told a meeting held yesterday to oppose the imminent closings. The board plans to transfer patients to general and private hospitals and sell off the hospitals, as part of its efforts to save $3O million. That meant a total of at least 150 hospital patients and some residents would have to be resited, said Dr Sainsbury. “In my view there are not enough private or public hospitals to accommodate them both in such a short time.”
Dr Sainsbury said he accepted
the hospitals were old and needed replacing, but he had hoped it would be in association with other improvements for services for the elderly.
Public meetings to protest the closings heard from a nurse at Coronation that proposals to shift patients had been outlined to staff yesterday. The plan was that 56 patients would be sent to country hospitals, 50 to private hospitals, 30 to Burwood Hospital and 15 to Princess Margaret Hospital, she said. Dr Sainsbury said he had not heard any definite plans for resiting the patients.
A board member and chairman of the meetings, Mr David Close, said the board had not yet made any decisions.
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Press, 6 September 1989, Page 8
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336Patients ‘could die of stress’ Press, 6 September 1989, Page 8
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