April 29, 2021

A Story of Thanks

From a patient’s sister:

“RML has a mission, to wean patients off ventilators, and they excel at fulfilling that mission. My sister was transferred there from a fancy North Shore hospital where they simply sedated her to within an inch of her life and counseled me to “pull the plug”. After mere days at RML she was conscious and aware of her surroundings. They were weaning her off all the drugs from the previous hospital – a very trying process for her and the staff, but they showed great sensitivity and compassion. Within a week of arriving she had also been weaned off the ventilator and was only receiving some supplemental oxygen. By just over three weeks the tracheostomy was removed and she was able to talk and start more active physical therapy. She stayed a total of five weeks to receive additional therapy and get her strength up to transferring to a short-term rehab facility for PT/OT.

I visited almost every day during those five weeks. Yes, a couple of times the entrance did smell like a giant dirty diaper, but those were rare exceptions. The building itself is old and the rooms somewhat cramped, but everything is kept very clean. The staff – nurses, physicians, therapists, aides, support staff, administration, you name it – could not have been more helpful, knowledgeable, and compassionate. Is every single person there a ray of sunshine? No, but the overwhelming majority are and I think families need to remember that their own stress can influence their perceptions. While your family member may want or need assistance, there is a good chance that another patient is in real medical distress and needs more immediate attention. Remember, these people are on ventilators.

Prior to my sister’s transfer to RML I had read these reviews. I realize that the people with complaints are often the ones who bother to write reviews, so I felt I should take the time to share our experience. My sister is a former nurse who worked at several different hospitals during her career and is very demanding and critical as a patient. Before leaving she went out of her way to tell the Nurse Manager that she thought the staff was overall the best she had ever seen. Trust me, she is not one to throw around compliments. She even thought the food wasn’t bad. I hope to never need RML again, but I would not hesitate to place someone there if we ever needed their expertise and care.”