Health Room Notes for Summer 2004

An Occasional Publication on Heath and Wellness in the Lathrop Community

Health and Wellness Committee: The Easthampton Community has a new residents' committee. H&W meets with the Wellness Director every month or so to review program ideas, plan and evaluate health related presentations, and advise me on topics of concern to residents. H&W takes a very broad view of “health and wellness”. Please speak to a member of the committee with your ideas or questions. H&W members include Peggy Betke, chair, Ed Abbe, Jane Foskitt, Ella Melville and Gerry LoGalbo.

 

Using 911: I have never lived or worked in a setting where individuals felt comfortable calling 911. Nobody wants to make a fuss or draw attention to themselves; some of us resist so as not to waste anyone's time or use scarce health resources. Sometimes I've been asked why an Inn driver can't be used to drive one to the hospital. I'd like to address these concerns.

All the ambulance crews that I have met have been calm, friendly, and professional. They really do seem to understand the feelings of the person who called them. These feelings range from scared, “Is this it? Am I going to die?” to slightly foolish, “Why did I call? I feel fine now; what a spectacle!”

The crews have guidelines to follow if you are going to the hospital. They may require you to sit or lie on their gurney for the trip. The ambulance crew, the staff here and you are all hoping that these precautions – the 911 call, the gurney, the oxygen, the IV and the ambulance ride are not needed. We're all hoping that you'll be checked out and sent back home after a few anxious or boring hours in the emergency department. But every once in a while, those precautions are needed unexpectedly, and their routine use saves lives.

Not everyone who calls 911 needs to go to the hospital. The ambulance crew can help you assess the situation and make a sensible decision. I know of several times when 911 was activated because someone had fallen and needed help getting up. It may seem silly to call 911 for this help rather than asking a staff member or neighbor, but there are good reasons to do so. First, it is often not possible for an untrained person to decide whether or not it is safe to help you up. Second, even if it is safe to get up, an untrained person can injure you or himself doing this. Finally, a trained person should ask the questions about how you fell and whether you have a contributing medical problem that needs to be assessed. The Easthampton paramedics and EMTs who respond to 911 calls have been unfailingly polite and helpful. They will never make you feel foolish or overly cautious for calling them. Everyone who works to protect the health and safety of our community agrees that if you even consider calling 911 for a situation, you probably should!

There is no doubt that the sight of an ambulance arriving on the campus turns heads. I would worry about the heart and soul of this community if this were not the case. The staff here and your neighbors will be concerned if they see you loaded into the ambulance for a trip to the hospital. So what happens after the ambulance leaves? If you have given me or someone else permission to say anything at all, then I will say “ whoever is off to the hospital to get checked out”. In the year I've been here, I've been struck by how individuals can combine concern for a neighbor or friend with discretion. If I am asked follow-up questions that I may not answer, I simply say so, “That's all I can tell you”.

I am sometimes asked to call for a driver instead of an ambulance, and almost always I have to say no. If you have an emergency that might involve a heart attack, respiratory arrest, dangerously high blood pressure, communicable disease, a possible fracture or any chance of internal bleeding then the best way to get to the hospital is by ambulance. Our local fire department has paramedics on every medical run, and they have the skills and equipment to communicate with the hospital while en route, and to give medicines, including oxygen and IVs, that can save your life or prevent further illness or injury. Not only does an ambulance offer help during the trip, but also on arrival at the hospital; the ambulance crew will ensure that you are seen as soon as you should be. All arrivals at the ED see a professional nurse who decides how urgent or emergent a case is, but those arriving by ambulance are at least one step ahead in this process.

 

Adaptive Equipment : If you have ever purchased anything by catalog, you are probably inundated with other catalogs. As part of a large, relatively prosperous and well-educated generation, you are a target market for all kinds of vendors. Much of what we see in the adaptive equipment and home health care catalogs is rubbish, but there are also some products that promote comfort and safety. One simple adaptation that helps many people with joint pain or muscle weakness is a raised toilet seat. These come is several forms (with and without arms, “riser” style, e.g.) and varied heights. At the Inn , Dean and Dennis have installed a number of these for residents. If you struggle to get up from a seated position, or sit down with force enough to jar yourself, please consider trying a raised toilet seat.