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Fraser Health's cancellation of bathing program causes hardship for many

Fraser Health gave no reason for the discontinuation of this vital bathing program such as cost, nor did it suggest an increase in price.

Editor: Imagine yourself with an illness that won’t permit you to clean your body. You cannot get into a bathtub or shower. You cannot use a soft cloth to bathe yourself because even that gentle pressure will make you bleed.

Up until now, there was a solution run by Fraser Health called The Bathing Program but now it has been cancelled abruptly.

This program which had one’s body submersed into warm water by means of a chair on a  pulley, enabling the patient to cleanse themselves by means of soapy water that was then replaced with fresh water to rinse of the cleansing residue. The cost to the patient was $10, plus the cost of transportation to and from the facility.

Fraser Health gave no reason for the discontinuation of this vital bathing program such as cost, nor did it suggest an increase in price. No, there was just a terse statement stating the program was finished.

Can you imagine yourself being one of these hapless patients with a body gradually starting to stink and turning into a breeding ground for infection? These are the physical aspects of the discontinuation of this vital service.

Can you possibly understand the mental anguish if you found yourself in this dreadful state? How would you feel if a loved one had to suffer this depravation?

Something must be done to rectify this appalling state of affairs immediately.

 

Mike Harvey,

Langley