To the Editor:
I am new to the area and afraid to admit my husband to The Villages Regional Hospital should I ever need to.
My father retired from a high-stress job as soon as he came of age and moved to The Villages with my stepmother. He was so excited to show off his beautiful new find, The Villages, to family and friends. He was high energy, loved to golf, and our family loved to party together, so this community was a perfect fit for him. For over 20 years I traveled to The Villages for the holidays and special occasions, and it was most certainly the place I would retire to.
Regrettably my father got prostate cancer. He was treated and had a cancerous free prostrate. My joy became heartbreak when I was called and told that I should fly down “just in case.” When I saw him, one day he was raring to go home and the next he did not have the strength to go to the washroom. My father died a few days later in that hospital. Why? We were told that they could not control the medication. Really? He was under a physician’s care, in a hospital with access to any treatment available, we were told that the cancer was eradicated and still, he died.
Something is terribly wrong and I do not trust that patient’s receive adequate care. I am living in Lady Lake now. My husband is vital and energetic and will retire in two years. He does however have high blood pressure. If he gets ill I am afraid to take him to The Villages Regional Hospital and will do whatever I can to get him to another place. My experience, together with all the other reader’s accounts of their experiences is testimony that my gut feeling is right. To those who had successful treatment at the hospital, I am truly happy for you and you have been blessed. But, I am afraid to take the chance.
Christine Almeida
Harbor Hills
