Posts by Rosemary McDonald
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More about this from the Herald
In 2007, Mangere woman Folole Muliaga died the same day a contractor to Mercury Energy cut the power to her home. A coroner later found the 45-year-old, who was using an oxygen machine, died as a result of morbid obesity, but also that the loss of power played a part in her death.
Less than a month later, Mercury Energy introduced changes to prevent a repeat of the tragedy, including requiring customers facing power disconnection to receive a personal phone call to check whether there are medical or hardship reasons not to cut off the electricity.
The Electricity Commission, now called the Electricity Authority, also introduced voluntary guidelines - involving electricity retailers, hospitals and GPs - to identify and help protect vulnerable people from electricity disconnection.
Nine years.
Nine whole years and still nothing in place to protect vulnerable people from this...
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Update, and guess what the folk commenting are saying?
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Juliana Carvalho not wanted by New Zealand because she has a disability.
Juliana was one of the few people who approached Peter and I as we held our wee protest against deaths of disabled people through neglect by providers at the 2014 Health and Disability Conference.
We were pretty much shunned by the 'establishment' of government funded 'advocates', and her interest and support was much appreciated.
Others reading this will no doubt know Juliana well, please let her know that she has support out here....and is their anything we can do to help.
This government HATES disabled people.
Kia kaha, Juliana.
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Hard News: Kia kaha, Helen Kelly, in reply to Hilary Stace,
Perhaps they should have played sport..
A sad reflection of the times.
Maybe we should have an alternative vote...along the lines of
"The REAL New Zealander of the Year".
I vote for Helen Kelly.
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Access: The Blue Inhaler, in reply to Sacha,
tangential bureaucracy
I read that, and all I could think of for a while was one of the more off the wall Monty Python sketches.
Then I got really, really angry.
Petty fucking bureaucrats.
Please God, let there be a particularly warm place in hell for them.
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Access: Disability abuse: it’s not OK, in reply to Hilary Stace,
and ask whether they are the problem or can actually work with families to find proper community-based, person-centred solutions.
Here are decisions from the Health and Disability Commission re; complaints about mental health services about incidents until 2012.
And...
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Access: The Blue Inhaler, in reply to walrus,
(Even more tangentially: I have been tutted at for having brought my own [non-asthma] medications with me when being admitted to hospital, and made to promise not to use them. One is supposed to rely on the nurses to administer everything at the correct intervals and dosages and to note same down on the chart. I won’t comment on the track record there! I have then, later, been visited by the hospital pharmacist who has a “thank God” response [more professionally phrased] when I produce my own meds because two of them they don’t keep in stock and one they can’t get in for several days.)
I'm happy to go off on your tangent walrus.
Himself was admitted through A&E some twenty years ago with haematemesis...vomiting blood. Not very nice at all. This was after an epidural for day surgery had resulted in the most god awful of headaches once he got home. Hospital said give him panadol...which in tablet form was enough to tip his already drug overloaded system over the edge. We had already begun to take a long hard look at the prescribed meds he was on...and the side effects and contra indications. One drug was a stand out for gastric bleeds, and he had already decided to stop taking it. (It was a prophylactic drug...and he was willing to 'risk' it.) Nurse came round with the drug trolley and Himself refused the Hiprex. Well, nurse not happy at all. "But it's charted!" he sputtered, as if refusal was tantamount to treason, "you have to take it!" "Well actually, no I don't" he said. I being the then diplomatic one asked the nurse to look up the drug in New Ethicals and check out the side effects and contra indications. "Not recommended in cases of GI bleed". "What has Mr Just Vomited His Guts Out been admitted for?" I asked...."Uh".
You make a very good point about 'patients' being trusted to be responsible for their own medications and I believe there should be greater emphasis on partnerships between the patient and their doctors for those with long term conditions.
We hear about that 'partnership' concept, but when patients actually try to exercise some autonomy...there are some sticklers who plain don't like it.Now...where are those stats about treatment injury and medical mishaps in New Zealand hospitals?
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And folks, here's one from the "only in America" file...
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From what I'm reading, and from the website, if the proponents of buteyko are claiming to be able to 'cure' anything it is the bad habit of mouth breathing.
And if the testimonials are genuine, this re training has been life changing for some.
Also....it is really difficult trying to find research that is a) not funded by a drug company or b) published in some fringe type mag.