The Forsyth Family

“It was almost like they were caring for one of their own relatives,” reflects Rob Forsyth when describing the care the Northumberland Hills Hospital (NHH) team provided for his late wife, Pam.

In 2017, Rob retired from his career as a firefighter and in the spring of 2018, he and Pam celebrated with a cruise vacation. By October of that year, Pam had started experiencing health issues and was eventually determined to have a degenerative brain illness that greatly impacted her ability to care for herself.

Pam had been a stay-at-home mom, committed to her family, active, and in good health. She had enjoyed playing bingo and had a longtime dream of visiting the Grand Ole Opry. Last year, for her 60th birthday, with meticulous planning to ensure her needs were met throughout the trip, her family made that dream come true with a road trip to Nashville – even stopping by Dollywood on the drive home.

For nearly seven years, Rob, with the help of their two daughters, Courtney and Breann, cared for Pam in their home – originally in Courtice before moving to Cobourg in 2019. The level of care Pam needed grew as her illness progressed, eventually requiring home care support on top of the care the family could provide, including PSWs and nursing visits.

Over the past three years, Pam was both an outpatient and inpatient at NHH, spending a total of 17 weeks admitted and interacting with teams from many departments throughout her visits. Most recently, Pam was cared for in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for twelve days. When thinking of the different teams they saw, Rob shared, no matter which department they were in, the healthcare teams were accommodating and friendly.

“You wouldn’t find the same experience in a larger hospital,” he shared. “The care was so warm, they welcomed questions, and it just felt like they were willing to give more time whenever we needed it. From entering the hospital until Pam’s final moments, they guided us along with their wisdom and open arms.”

Pam passed away at NHH on May 4. Following this, Rob and his daughters reached out to the hospital to share their experience and recognize the team for their care not only for Pam, but for their family. They made a Gift of Gratitude to recognize the ICU team for their thoughtfulness, compassion, and empathy.