Intensive care patients at Darlington Memorial Hospital are able to communicate more easily with staff, their friends and family thanks to the donation of two ipads.
The donation has been made, together with £1,500, by Robert and David Nelson-Vollans following Robert’s care on the unit earlier this year.
Forty-six year-old Royal Mail worker Robert, of Main Street, Shildon, was a patient on the intensive care unit at Darlington for 36 days during May and June, after becoming critically ill with Pneumonia and Swine Flu. He was ventilated and unconscious for three weeks.
Once he regained consciousness he still had a tracheotomy which left him unable to speak to staff, family and friends. He discovered he could use his ipad to communicate with staff and visitors.
Robert said, “It started out that I thought I had a chest infection and my GP sent me for a chest x-ray which showed some shadowing on my lungs, and it was discovered that I had Pneumonia. I deteriorated fast and had to be admitted to hospital where I was also diagnosed with Swine Flu and became critically ill. I was admitted into the ITU and was unconscious for nearly three weeks.
“Once I regained consciousness and was aware of the care I was receiving, I only have good things to say about the ITU. I can’t praise the staff enough as they had to resuscitate me three times and without them I wouldn’t be here today.”
“The idea of donating ipads came about because while I was in the unit my husband David brought my ipad in so that I could watch films but I discovered that I could actually use it to type out what I wanted to say and the staff and friends kept commenting on how good this was.”
The ipads will be a useful resource for staff and patients on the intensive care units. Patients who have had a tracheotomy and are unable to speak can often be left frustrated as they try to communicate with staff or their friends and family. Patients can use the ipads to communicate more easily and effectively.
Robert’s husband, David said: “Robert was in hospital for a long time and unconscious for nearly three weeks and the staff were really there to support me as well during what was the worst time of my life. They have become like friends now and I really couldn’t have made it through without the care and affection of the staff. I found that when Robert was on the ventilator I was trying to communicate for him and really read what he wanted from the look in his eyes so when he found he could use his ipad and that the predictive text made things easier it really was great for me and the staff. The donation is really our way of saying thank you for the wonderful care that Robert received whilst in ITU.
Along with two ipads Robert and his husband David have also donated £1,500. Most of which was raised by Robert’s niece Helen Race who ran the Darlington 10K and received sponsorship towards the donation and both Robert’s and David’s work colleagues and employers have made contributions along with personal donations from friends and family.
Sister Stephanie Hawman, from the ITU ward at Darlington said, “We are extremely grateful to Robert and David for this kind donation. Robert was with us for a long time and he became part of the family. The ipads will be a very useful resource for our patients, helping those that are unable to speak to communicate with us and their visitors which will reduce some of the frustration which can be experienced and those patients who are well enough will also be able to use them as a source of entertainment to help pass the time. We’d like to say a big thank you and are delighted to see Robert doing so well now.”
Shildon & District's local community newspaper.
