Everyone at Monash Health is in the business of saving lives, because each one of us, in some way, plays a part in making a difference and contributes to life-saving outcomes.
Dialysis is a vital service, giving people like Noelene, one of our very first patients to walk through the doors at Cranbourne Community Hospital, the chance to continue enjoying life and precious time with her family. ‘I’m alive, I wouldn’t be if I didn’t have it [dialysis]. Last year I was really…sick, I didn’t think I was going to be here this year. But I am feeling so much better now,’ Noelene reflects.
When a kidney stops functioning, excess water, waste and toxins can’t be filtered from the blood. These elements can get to dangerous levels in the body and can severely impact a person’s health and diminish their quality of life. Some treatments can be done at home, but many people will need to attend a clinic or hospital to receive dialysis.
Noelene dialyses for 5 hours at a time, 3 days a week. She tells people she has a part-time job at Monash Health! ‘I’m 81 years old and I’ve been on dialysis for 2 years now. I prefer to come in the mornings. I watch TV or I read my kindle. Or if I have any phone calls to make, I make phone calls,’ Noelene said.
Noelene is acutely aware of the important role the team at Cranbourne Community Hospital plays in helping to keep her alive. ‘The nurses are lovely. They are very compassionate. They come around and ask if you want sandwiches and a coffee every morning and bring it around. They clean up after you and if you need something, they’ll go get it.’
A Cranbourne local of 23 years, Noelene is grateful that the new Cranbourne Community Hospital is so close to home. ‘When I used to go to Clayton, my daughters…used to get up and drive me and one used to come and pick me up…so it was really hard. Casey [Hospital] was pretty good, it was only 20 minutes’ drive but this is five minutes, which means I don’t have to get up so early and don’t have to go in the traffic as much. This is a beautiful hospital.’