We are losing a Generation, and they are probably the best ones. Completely unique to their time and this world.

Sadly, I have noticed we are losing a generation.  Our WWII vets are dwindling, and with them, their stories. 

These men are kind, gentle, smart, respectful and grateful.  I have met no one in my travels like them. 

They are humble, caring, selfless and worried for the world they are leaving behind. 

I had on gentleman say to me "If I had known what kind of mess Canada was going to end up in, I never would have gone to war" followed by great concern and sadness over what would not be left for his grandchildren and greatgrandchildren if we keep on this path.  I almost cannot imagine anything more sad than this. 

We have let down our vetrans.  They layed their lives on the line for our freedoms and futures, left lives, loves and families behind.  Lost friends, brothers, fathers, cousins on the battlefield. 
And they are no longer proud to have done that. 

Where do we go from here?

There is a group of men from Poland.  They were captured and sent (walked) to a Russian prison camp.  There they had little food, (500grams of bread a day) harsh labor conditions.  Then when Russia needed to go defend other parts, they were let go, and walked there way to join the Free Polish Army (?) and continue on to fight across Italy, Germany, etc. 

From there they all eventually ended up here, where they spend their last days.  Many worked at the same place, some the foreman of others.  They put their differences behind them, and became, as they call themselves brothers.  There are not many of these men left.  It is sad, but they do not mind.  "I am old, no good anymore," speaking with tears for those they leave behind, but content and unwaivering that God will be taking care of them soon enough, up in Heaven.   They are good men, the best I have met, and I have no doubt they earned and very much deserve their spot up above. 

I do my best to say thank-you for fighting for our country.  A country that was not even yours yet, when you perservered through the war.  I do not think thank-you is enough, nothing could ever be.  They always shrug off my thanks, as if it were no big deal, and often say "I didn't know what I was getting myself into" or "I had nothing else to do." 

They have cool tattoos, real tattoos.  From their first or last nights in England.  Often you find two men across the hall from each other, who unknowingly got tattooed in seemingly the same shop. 

They are grateful for cold water, hospital food, a warm blanket, five minutes of conversation.  They respect you the instant you show them respect.  They go from being tough and maybe distant, to hugging you goodbye and calling you dear.  They sacrificed for us, but now are worried they are taking up to much of our time to ask to have their needs met. They are grateful, kind, humble and selfless.

They are the best men I know.

a long time coming

Recently I was summoned to court to testify.  Well, actually it was my third summons, but everytime I went the case would be delayed.  The person involved flopped back and forth from wanting a lawyer to not wanting a lawyer etc.  

On the day of court I was surprised to see so many professionals I know and work with.

From our small town, we were missing from our essential services personelle:
3 EMS
2 Doctors
4 Nurses
3 RCMP

To me that seems like a lot to be gone from town, and unavailable to work for two or more days.
I know everyone is entitled to a fair trial, but with technology available today, something better should be able to happen.  

That and the nurses waited all day, only to be asked minimal questions (three or less each), and one of us was not even needed.

Major delay in Care

Recently, a young person spent two and a half hours waiting for an ambulance at their relatively remote campsite.  It did not take the ambulance two and a half hours to get there.  Ambulances are centrally dispatched from a call center.  They must follow the dispatchers instructions.  So the ambulance was mandated to go up a road any local person knows is closed until June 1st.  It is still April.  The ambulance is two wheel drive and eventually gets to a locked gate where they must stay and wait for someone to come open it so they can continue on through 3 feet of snow - ha, not likely.  They turn around. A SECOND ambulance then leaves to go up the proper, non-snow covered highway.  By this time the patients family has been calling 911 every half hour, asking where there help is, saying that they could have driven themselves to the hospital already, which is very true.  So now the town is down two ambulances - none left for any emergencies that happen in or around town, a scary situation that should be avoided.  Second ambulance gets to the patients, and instead of being allowed by dispatch to continue on to a Calgary, which the patient needed, or to a closer more northern rural hospital, the second ambulance is mandated to bring the patient back to our hospital.  (half hour to our hospital, half hour to more northern hospital, or 45-60 minutes to a Calgary hospital - the ultimate treatment goal for the patient) 

Two and a half hours after calling 911 the patient gets pre-hospital or EMS care. Three and a half hours after calling 911, the patient gets to a hospital.  Five hours after the initial 911 he leaves for Calgary from our small hospital.  Six hours after calling 911 he would have made it to Calgary hospital.  
Approximate 6 hour total.

If things had played out differently, if the system were better, it would look like this:

911 call
30-45 minutes later EMS on scene providing care.
60 minutes after EMS arrives patient in Calgary hospital.
Approximate two hour total.

Anyone else horrified by this situation?

change is a coming

our little facility will see changes coming in our OR capacity, and maybe some renos sometime soon. the alberta health care system will likely see catastropic failure. ER wait times in cities are unbelievable, LTC wait times and closings are ridiculous. old people will die because of both, a lot sooner than they were meant to. ADL's are not the way to go - pay for service model - do you want breakfast, lunch or both? your laundry done? a tv? bathed once a week? toileted once a day? (yikes!) if you get sick all the pca can do is call 911 - be it you threw up, scraped your elbow, or are having a heart attack - they dont know shit from shinola (well maybe that, but not much else, no offence) in proper LTC you have LPN's and RN's 24/7 to help you if you are sick. throw-up, they can do an abdominal assessment and vitals, give you a gravol if warranted. Scrape your elbow, a fancy dressing will be applied, and the wound monitored for healing and signs of infection. having a heart attack - they can do vitals, give you oxygen, nitro, aspirin and morphine, all while waiting for an ambulance...or respecting your chosen level of care or code status (dnr). Who would you have? Who do you want for your loved one?

Come on, Be a Team Player!

One weekend morning my first three ER patients were there only because "the doctor told me to meet him here." They know not why or what for, just to be there at 0800h. Now, weekends are staffed more lightly than during the week, making the inpatient load heavier. Because of this the ER nurse helps on the floor until patients (real patients hopefully) show up. So when I get three people in, not knowing why, it really gets me. I sent an email complaint to my two supervisors, voicing my concern, along with my rationale as to why this is inappropriate: wasting health care dollars by paying ER wages to Dr's for clinic visits, wasting nursing time with clinic visits, delaying treatment of real ER patients due to backlog created by clinic visits in the ER. One response I got was, thank you for bringing this to my attention, it has been an ongoing issue we would like to resolve, thank you for having the courage to standup for what is right. The other response I got was, I don't see an issue with this, you should try to be more of a team player. Yup, by calling out an abuse of the system I am not being a team player. Apparently I need to show up and shut up, and let the docs carry on anyway they please.

it's contagious...

So, my fave doc and I were off to a great start the other day. While I had a cardiac patient waiting to be seen, and listed as my first priority, he was off in the waiting room seeing his biggest priority. The patient he was seeing was brought in by his wife. The wife had a scheduled appointment at the clinic the day before, and was told by my fave doctor, who couldn't see him at the clinic "bring him to ER in the morning for an ECG and lab work and I will see him then." Heaven forbid the doc write out a requisition for lab work and an ECG to be done by the community lab whenever the patients can make it. Nope, need that ER visit to get those extra $$. Wasting nursing staff time and $, making sick patients wait, all because of greed and an inability to know when the clinic load is too heavy. Needless to say I was livid....so close to telling this Dr off, and he knew it, I had to started to with Dr.Fave, you know what... stopped myself... he says what, i thought you were going to say something... nope i'm good, i reply... are you sure, he asks.. yup, i forgot, is my response. He reads the ER sheet where I had written what I was told by the patients as to why they were here, ie. "Wife in to see Dr yesterday, told by Dr to bring pt here for lab work and ecg" He looks up at me after reading this, and I say what? He replies, "It's contagious." "What's contagious," I ask. "Forgetting," he says. I thought this was quite funny, as we were both quite pissed at one another, and yet, were able to keep it in, smile, and continue on, even if it was a bit of a tension filled day from there...not bad, but both of us trying to get over our anger.

oh dear.

As we have moved further and further into the mess of a health care system I am finding myself ashamed to be a part of it. Grandparents are being discharged without any teaching of their new conditions, being forced to wait longer for important tests because they once had cancer. And those in charge say nothing is wrong with the system. How much are they being paid to say that, to stay oblivious? We have patients in our hospital stay for weeks on end when they are perfectly healthy. Rich old ladies who get lonely when their kids go out of town. Wives dumping husbands in hospital so they can vacation overseas. Children "needing to clean her house and buy groceries" before mom or dad can be discharged. Total and utter abuse of the system. Dr's on call leaving the hospital, greeting incoming patients as they go, so the ER nurse has no choice but to "call them back", which they then write on the ER sheet for an extra few hundred dollars for that visit. Patients coming to ER to get their blood pressure checked - "just thought I should", or for their "sore throat the last 3 weeks" or the "knee has been bothering me for a few years" or to "have my ears rinsed out." As much as the government and officials are the main and biggest part of the problem, it is then Dr's who are all about the $$, and then patients, who do not realize how much they are costing the system for their inappropriate visits to ER. Where do we go from here? I am afraid to find out.