The Editor,
My wife, aged over 90, was taken into Peace Arch Hospital last week and, although familiar with her laptop, did not own or use a cellphone.
Once she was admitted, it became almost impossible for us (her family) to communicate, so our son purchased a simple flip phone and I wrote up a few simple instructions for her.
I wonder how many other seniors must find themselves in the same situation.
In these COVID-19 days, this can become an additional burden for both the patient and family. Is this a huge hidden challenge? I don’t know.
What I do know that it is vital that both the patient and family are able to communicate without putting an extra burden on our wonderful already over-worked front line nursing staff.
Douglas Brown, Surrey
