Have you ever...
Felt like you were busy all day, yet at the end you looked back and couldn't see what you'd done?
That was me yesterday.
@danielles came round and we had a lovely breakfast, then sat chatting.
Later, we went across the road to take a look at a house that had gone up for rent.
Last year, around this time, I heard a pitiful "Help me!" coming from outside. I rushed out to see who needed help and two neighbours and I found an old lady lying on the front of her house. She'd had a fall and tripped over the doorstep. She was almost at her 100th birthday.
The ambulance was called and we tried to make her comfortable without moving her too much for fear of doing more harm than good. She wanted a drink, but all we could do was give her water.
I fetched a glass of water, another neighbour fetched a couple of cushions from the sofa and we chatted to her to try to keep her calm. Johnny sat behind her because she lay at an odd angle and complained that she was starting to ache.
The ambulance took more than an hour and a quarter to get to her.
Let that sink in a while.
An emergency vehicle couldn't get to her for more than 75 minutes. Despite needing a zimmer frame to walk with, she could have walked to the hospital herself in that time, had she been well, we live that close.
When Trev's mum fell, she was waiting for an ambulance too - not an emergency, you see. It took almost 2 and a half hours to get her to the hospital and she lives three miles from our house - five miles at the most to the hospital.
Our NHS is in dire need of resuscitation
The NHS (National Health Service) is in desperate need of better management and lots more funding.
Old people should never have to lie on the ground outside their home (or inside their home) waiting so long for help to come.
I live in a third world country. If we need an ambulance in our neighbourhood you may have to wait 12 hours or more and I have seen them refuse to come because the roads are to muddy. I have the only running 4 wheel drive vehicle in this area, so quite often I get a call to take people the 30 miles to a hospital. I am also the only trained nurse in the area. Proper health care is so important but for some strange reason, people here are not inclined to fight for it.
Wow, that's horrible, especially if there is a real emergency. I guess even if we don't agree with a lot of things in our health systems (I'm in Canada), we need to remember how lucky we really are in comparison. I'm so glad for your area that you are a nurse.
I am Canadian and lived there for most of my life. The system used to be really good. My sons say it's not that great anymore...
Where did you live? I was born in Dundas, Ontario, moved to Mississauga, and then moved to BC in 2004 - my siblings are scattered throughout Canada.
I was born in London and lived most of my life around the London area; St. Thomas and Thorndale mostly. I also lived in Europe for awhile and in the US. Spent 6 years living in Costa Rica before settling in Nicaragua. Been here 12 years now.
Wow, you've been a traveller! That's awesome. I know most of that area; spent a lot of driving time exploring all of Ontario - picnics, fishing, hiking, attending plays at Stratford .... There are so many beautiful spots to check out - of course, that is the same everywhere. I know Nicaragua is a poor country, but it's also very beautiful.
Not as beautiful as it could be. People here are notorious for pitching their garbage everywhere. I started a campaign here, supplying garbage containers and bags and arranging for people to haul it to the dump. Been giving lessons at school how to recycle. It is an uphill battle but I think I am making some progress.
That's so wonderful for you to do that! I'm sorry people are using their country for a dumping ground though; that's so sad.
Awww.. :( I felt bad for her. They should've come faster so she will be rushed to the hospital. That's really the sad part right there when there is an emergency and emergency people take a very long time to rescue. Good thing you were there to help her.
In my country, the old people are also waiting for help when trouble happens. Sometimes waiting may take more than a few hours. It is sad. I think that irrespective of the country of residence - emergency medical care should work very quickly. Often there are emergency situations in which people need urgent medical help.
The situation you described is not very pleasant. But I'm glad that you were with this old lady. They helped her. It's good that the situation was not worse.
That is my story everyday in office!
On the NHS thing from Twitter:
Medical professional's instead of HR 'toe the line', government implants (pun intended), would be a great start .
It is tiers of bureaucratic 'common purpose' management, more than funding that is the issue I think, tbh.
It is being run down to sell off.
I'm so sorry to learn about the horrible wait times for an ambulance, especially in a medical emergency. That's awful. I guess we here in Canada don't realize how lucky we really are. As an aside, those pastries are drool-worthy ... think you could squeeze one of them through the internet to me? lol.
It really was awful. She didn't get to the hospital for ages and it was well past midnight when she was finally sorted out and settled down.
I'll try to send a roll through... ;)
Your poor mom-in-law, how sad and stressful that must have been. (((hugs))) xox
I agree, that's appalling isn't it. To have to wait that long is awful!!
It really is appalling. She died just before her 100th birthday. I'm not sure if it was the fall, but lying on the ground surely didn't help :(
Aww I'm sorry to hear that!
That seems like a long time for anyone to wait for anything. Good thing you are good neighbors.
I am not sure how any of the systems work. Here in states the Fire Department also has ambulances. So that probably helps.
I know if a person does not have insurance it can cost quite a bit too.
Save me one of those sweet rolls looks so good, my husband is bringing me back a cappucino and it will nicely with that.
We have the NHS (we pay direct from our wages - it's called National Insurance and depends on how much you're paid) so the less well-off don't have to worry about private insurance. Our hospitals are all free to use and though there's a huge worry (as @lucylin stated) that the NHS is being run-down so the government can sell it off, for the time being, health care is relatively free.
The rolls and plaits were around half a STEEM - bargain!
Emergency company's maybe R not doing their best, so many lifes as been lost because they waited for too long and help came too late, I just hope there will be an improvement, thanks for sharing @michelle.gent also u should have provided her with drink as she requested not water. :p
If we had provided a drink that prevented her from receiving medical treatment - such as an operation - we would have failed her.
I'm not up to date with my first aid certificate, but I do remember that.
I resteem your excellent post @michelle.gent