The Royal Melbourne Hospital

The Royal Melbourne Hospital’s Speech Pathology, and Head and Neck Surgery departments would like to acknowledge and thank Dry July for funding the replacement of The Royal Melbourne Hospital’s stock of electrolarynx kits because the impact on laryngectomy patient care is immeasurable.

The RMH Speech Pathology department currently manages more than 50 patients post laryngectomy, and this financial support has meant that RMH can more reliably provide all patients following laryngectomy with a ‘new voice’. RMH is therefore now better positioned to uphold the universal basic human right that all patients should be able to verbally express themselves and participate in their own healthcare.

Patients will now be able to routinely access the latest models of these kits to restore verbal communication immediately following their laryngectomy surgery or during unrelated hospital admissions, to assist in determining whether it will become their primary means of communication.

A pertinent example of this is a laryngectomy patient who currently has no verbal means of communication. She has requested electrolaryngeal speech rehabilitation in the first instance to restore her verbal communication. She will be loaned a device for the period of her rehabilitation which will facilitate her communication in a full range of community settings. This will provide her the first opportunity to communicate verbally since her laryngectomy surgery four years ago.

The Speech Pathology department at The Royal Melbourne Hospital recognises the importance of giving every person a voice. Patients requiring laryngectomy for laryngeal or hypo-pharyngeal carcinoma are incredibly dis-empowered and vulnerable following their operation as they are unable to use their voice in the weeks following surgery. For their remaining life as a laryngectomee, the loss of laryngeal voice continues to cause significantly reduced quality of life. 

The hospital is able to supply electro-larynx kits on loan to laryngectomy patients. The current supply is outdated and prone to malfunction. Sending the kits off for repair can delay provision to patients. The hospital will use some money raised through Dry July 2016 to purchase new kits so that patients can have access to this equipment more immediately.

The Royal Melbourne Hospital opened a new 32 bed state-of-the-art cancer ward in April. The hospital will use funds raised through Dry July 2016 to purchase new recliners which will complement the space available in each inpatient room and allow family and friends to be comfortable when visiting for an extended period of time.

Here are some of your DJ funds at work.

3 East Nurse Unit Manager, Troy, says a huge thanks for your support! “Thank you! Our 3 East waiting room now has comfy chairs for patients who are waiting for an appointment or even recovering from a routine procedure. These chairs have made a significant difference for our cancer patients and their families and we again need your support this Dry July to raise much needed funds for our cancer services.”

Sign up or donate today in support of The Royal Melbourne!

Here are some of our amazing staff from our 7B cancer ward who are truly grateful for the support Dry July provides. They know that going booze free this July is easy in comparison to what our cancer patients are going through. They need you to sign up or donate today in support of Royal Melbourne cancer services – THANK YOU!