Lisa Fowler grateful for mother’s compassionate care

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When a loved one is critically ill, having the compassionate care of a professional medical team helps family members to feel confident their loved one is receiving the fullest, most appropriate care available.

Lisa Fowler’s mother Moira Mckee became a long-term patient in the Critical Care Unit (CCU) at the Brantford General. At age 71, Moira was diagnosed with ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease. Her illness began not with the usual loss of peripheral abilities such as holding items or movement, but with her ability to breathe and to swallow.

Grateful Patient Lisa Fowler — Moira Mckee, centre, with daughters Lisa Fowler, left, and Lorna Ruemper, right.

She was living on her own in Collingwood at the time, and had lived there for 20 years. As her illness progressed, Moira, Lisa and her sister Lorna Ruemper made the decision that Moira would move to a retirement home closer to Lisa’s home in Flamborough where she could maintain her independence with some in-home medical care before her illness required her to move into a nursing home.

The sisters found a place for Moira in Brant County, but within 36 hours of moving in Moira unexpectedly developed pneumonia and was taken to the Brantford General.

“After that she never left,” said Lisa.

As a patient in the Critical Care Unit, the medical team there tried to treat Moira’s pneumonia, but the ALS had compromised her breathing and her lungs wouldn’t
respond normally to treatment.

She received a tracheotomy, which was connected to a ventilator that breathed for her by pushing oxygen into her lungs. The medical apparatus prevented Moira from communicating with her voice, but Lisa said she wrote a lot of notes.

“The staff were fantastic with her while she was there,” said Lisa. “And it was more than just the level of medical care. They would do little things for her and take care of her appearance.”

One of the CCU nurses even modified Moira’s own nightgowns so they were easier for her to change.

“It was hard care she required,” said Lisa. “It was hard work.”

Moira needed a feeding tube to receive nutrition, her lungs required suctioning, and it was a complicated procedure to get Moira up and moving. She required a respiratory therapist to manoeuvre her ventilator, but once she was up, she was often able to walk laps around the nursing station in the centre of the unit.

“They were so great,” said Lisa. “They did what they could by keeping my mother comfortable and keeping our family
constantly informed.”

The staff in the Critical Care Unit adopt a holistic approach to care, tending to a patient’s body, mind and spirit. Care includes the use of specialized state-of-the-art technology for patients with life-threatening single or multi-system organ failure and close monitoring of patients at high-risk of developing critical illnesses.

The Brantford General CCU staff specialize in family-centred nursing care, which means a patient’s family is invited to participate in the care of their loved one. No questions are left unanswered and there is an open visitor policy with no restrictions on when and how long family members can visit. For those who choose to spend the night, the staff will provide pillows and blankets.

Other than the progression of her disease, Lisa said her mother never really got sick while she spent her last 13 months in Critical Care. She had bad days during her stay, but she never took it out on those around her.

Lisa said her mother continued to be a pop culture ‘junkie’ right up to the end of her life. She watched her favourite TV shows and was as active as she could be with her medical apparatus. “Most importantly, she held on to who she was,” said Lisa.

Knowing that the medical staff was taking such good care of her mother helped Lisa and her family to cope with what was happening.

“They made something truly terrible somehow easier,” Lisa said. “I never worried about my mother’s physical or mental care while she was being cared for on the Critical Care Unit.”

“In the end, it was mom’s choice. She’d just had enough,” she said. “She decided when it was her time, who she wanted there and when it would be.”

In her last week, Lisa said her mother decided she wanted to have a service to celebrate her life after she passed. Moira wanted the service to be in the chapel at the Brantford General, so the hospital chaplain arranged to meet with Moira and discuss her wishes.

“She wanted it there because she wanted the staff at the hospital to be able to be there. And they were. It was packed,” said Lisa.

As Lisa and her family know first-hand, when a health crisis or emergency affects you or a loved one, Brant Community Healthcare System is here to provide exceptional, professional and compassionate care in your time of need.

Now is the time to make a difference, please consider making a gift today that is meaningful to you, and support a strong healthcare system for our community.

Your involvement, through a donation of any size, will allow the BCHS Foundation to purchase patient equipment not funded by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, provide essential resources to maintain the exceptional level of compassionate patient care, and invest in new and innovative technology.

To make a donation, visit the BCHS Foundation website at bchsysfoundation.org or call 519-751-5510.

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For more information on how you can make a donation or offer your support to the 12 Days of Giving campaign, please contact the BCHS Foundation at 519-751-5510 or by email at foundation@bchsys.org

NOW is the time to make a difference, please consider making a gift today that is meaningful to you, and support a strong healthcare system for our community.

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When crisis or illness impacts you or a loved one, the BCHS is here for you in your time of need.

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