Metaxia Tsihlakis is determined to get answers from anyone responsible regarding her mother’s passing, whilst in St. Basil’s care.
The Greek Australian who is mourning the death of her mother Georgia Mitsinikos, is devastated and enraged by the lack of responsibility shown towards nursing homes residents amidst the coronavirus pandemic.
“It is my understanding that they did not take the virus seriously and when the situation got out of hand it was already too late,” Mrs Tsihlakis tells Neos Kosmos.
Her mother, Georgia 87, passed away last Thursday at the Northern Hospital where she was taken the night before. Mrs Tsihlakis believes that her mother had been infected with Covid-19 earlier as she was coughing and had other symptoms.
The devastated daughter, had even sent an email to St Basil’s management on 15 July regarding her concerns.
She argues that management dismissed her, telling her her mother had tested negative and was being treated with painkillers.
“Due to restrictions,” Mrs Tsihlakis explains, ” we could not see our mother. They (St. Vasil’s) were not responding to our phone-calls either. The only phone-call I received was the one notifying me they were taking her to hospital.”
Mrs Tsihlakis says that her mother had been ill for at least a week and if she had been transferred to the hospital earlier and staff hadn’t been entering the residents’ rooms without protective gear the cluster could have been preveted.
However, she did express her gratitude towards the staff that works in the frontline, especially health-care and paliative care professionals working with dementia.
Georgia Mitsinikos was from Poulithra, Arkadia and her funeral will take place at Axion Esti in Northcote.
“Even her funeral will be a traumatic experience,” her daughter adds. “The only ones allowed to say goodbye will be my brother, myself and our children. No one else.”
“My mother should have been alive. Nothing will bring her back now but we want answers from those responsible.”
Also read: Spiros Vasilakis who lost his mother to Covid-19 speaks to Neos Kosmos