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Marsha Cashmore, 83, has been flown home after waiting days in hospital for a medical transfer.
She was told multiple times she would be on the next flight to a hospital in Hastings.
Her daughter believes the delay has set back Cashmore’s recovery from major back surgery.
An elderly woman’s recovery from major back surgery may have been set back after spending days in hospital limbo waiting to be flown home.
Marsha Cashmore, 83, was due to start physiotherapy on Tuesday, but instead spent several days alone in bed, being told multiple times that she would be on the next flight out.
Cashmore called her daughter sobbing on Thursday night, saying “I just want to come home”, after spending hours in a transit lounge at Wellington Hospital with her bags already packed.
Health NZ Te Whatu Ora have apologised for the delays, saying Cashmore has now been sent home to Hawke’s Bay where she will spend her recovery.
Cashmore went into hospital on Thursday last week for surgery to correct a severe case of spinal stenosis, which had caused the nerves in her back to become “bundled up”, her daughter said.
“She waited five years for this surgery. She’s been crippled, agonising pain,” said Petrina, who only wanted her first name used.
“She got to the point where she could only walk to the toilet and back... she was so excited to be pain-free and now she’s in this distressed state.”
Marsha Cashmore, 83, was anxious and depressed after her ordeal.
Cashmore had been told on Monday she would be flown on Tuesday morning to Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers' Memorial Hospital where she would be able to recover near family.
In anticipation, Petrina drove home from Wellington, but the next day received a call that plans had changed.
Cashmore had been waiting since then for her flight home, having been told four times on Thursday she was going to be on the next flight out and that she needed to be ready to go.
She told the Herald that each time she was told it was time to go, nothing would then happen and nobody could explain to her why.
“Even the helicopter pilot told me I would be on the next flight, then nothing happened.
“It’s been so stressful, I’m just over it... I just want to get home, I’m meant to have started [physio]therapy on Tuesday,” she said today, before she was finally sent home.
“I’m starting to get very, very depressed. I feel as if I’m not going to get back at this rate.”
Petrina was upset her mother had been alone since Monday.
“Last night she rang me sobbing her heart out – and this woman doesn’t cry, she’s pretty stoic.”
She said her mother cried, “I just want to come home”.
Petrina felt “helpless” to do anything for her mother.
While Cashmore has “all her faculties”, she does experience mild temporary dementia for a week or two after surgeries, which added another layer of stress and confusion to the situation.
Petrina said Cashmore also had high blood pressure and had previously suffered three heart attacks
“The treatment she has received has placed her in a susceptible and dangerous state.
“We, the public, have no recourse to do anything and we’re just entrusting this broken system with our vulnerable whānau, and it breaks my heart.”
The Herald contacted Health NZ for comment earlier today. This afternoon, Petrina said Cashmore was told once again there were delays and they did not know when she would be sent home.
“A few minutes later there is ‘suddenly’ a flight and they’re taking her to the plane,” she said.
In the meantime, Cashmore had been “deteriorating” and could no longer get out of bed or walk unassisted. Petrina believed this was because of the delay to Cashmore receiving post-operative physiotherapy.
“She now does not want to be admitted to Hastings as she has become depressed, insecure and anxious and wants to be at home where she feels safe.
“However, her recovery has now been set back and we do not have the supports at home for her as she can no longer get out of bed unassisted because she has been left lying in a bed for two days and not up and moving.
“Her emotional and psychological wellbeing has taken a hard hit.”
Group manager of hospital operations for Capital, Coast and Hutt Valley, Kaye Hudson, apologised for the delays.
“We recognise it can be a stressful time for patients and their families, and uncertainty can add to this stress.”
She said Cashmore was confirmed as fit for transfer yesterday.
“However, demand for the air ambulance service from more acutely unwell patients meant we had to prioritise patient care according to clinical need.
“Mrs Cashmore was transferred back to Hawke’s Bay Memorial Hospital today and we apologise for any additional stress this has caused. We wish Mrs Cashmore all the best for her continued recovery.”
Melissa Nightingale is a Wellington-based reporter who covers crime, justice and news in the capital. She joined the Herald in 2016 and has worked as a journalist for 10 years.
