Alda Offers Thanks
And rightly; it's a lot of fun toi use blogs to rant about silliness, of which there is a lot. But it is too easy to forget how wonderfully privilileged we are to live now, even in the midst of economic 'crises'.Those people working in that hospital were amazing. Just to be able to walk in there at two in the morning, have a team of professionals receive us and instantly know what to do, have people working around the clock in laboratories to diagnose blood samples and all the rest, to be in an environment with the latest technology, that moreover is clean and well-maintained and efficient … it was just a little humbling. That feeling was reinforced the second time AAH went in, when they had her on monitors for the entire the night and nurses working around the clock to make sure she was stable, and moreover doing it with such kindness and caring … it’s not something that can be taken for granted, particularly not under the present conditions.
posted by Alan Adamson @ 12:35 PM
1 Comments:
Sometimes, I wish I had a blog just to speak about the "good" things my country offers.
Here's one. I'm an old lady. I lived a long time. I'm ready to go. But my country won't give up on me. In July, 2004, I had a triple bypass. The attention I received was extraordinary. I felt like a queen. I recovered well, and saw the cardiologist every year afterwards. Five years later, last Fall, I experienced permanent slight discomfort in my left arm. Not acute pain. As soon as I mentioned it, I was put through a series of regular tests. As nothing was found, the cardiologist decided to do an angiogram, saw that one of the arteries, which had been replaced in 2004, was blocked. Instantly, he did an angioplasty. I was wide awake as I had to participate. It took well over 2 hours. What I saw was magnificent. The whole team worked together with so much competence and warmth, giving me clear informations and making me feel like a valuable member. I was welcomed as an heroine when I returned to the floor for the overnight recovery. When I told the staff that, in the 60s, I had worked at St-Mike, I received a round of applause. The best moment of my nursing career! I still can't believe that so much was done, is still generously done, in my silly little country to keep this old lady alive.
Presently, I'm hearing, in the news, that a family just had a bad experience when an older member died because he did not receive the attention the family, and himself, desired. I believe the story. But it certainly wasn't the norm before I retired, 11 years ago. At times, our problem was that we wouldn't let our patients go. So much time, energy, and money were spent to keep them alive. In one hospital, where I worked, the average age in our 6-beds-ICU was 82 years old! The DNR (Do not resuscitate) was always reluctantly accepted. Still is, when I look around me, and see how long our Seniors live, and how well treated we are. Vive le Canada!
Post a Comment
<< Home