Incident: Medical Assist
The tones got us up just before 1 a.m. Someone needed our help, or at least they believed that they do. After donning my bunker pants I jumped into the rig, slipped into my seat and put on my headset. With not much more than a grunt I let our engineer know that all were on board and we were ready to roll. I was still trying to rub out the sleep from my eyes.
Dispatch let us know that we were just going out for a medical assist, a lift assist to be more exact. Usually not a big deal, they are quite routine.
We got to the residence and an elderly woman met us at the front door. She walked us through their beautifully kept home back towards the bathroom where her husband had taken a nasty fall. His health has been deteriorating over the last couple of months to the point where he really shouldn't be walking. He had fallen, and he didn't have the strength to get back up.
We helped the elderly man up and into the bathroom. While he went about his business, we stayed in the other room and talked with his wife. She told us that they have been living in their home for the past 45+ years and she has no desire to move into a seniors residence. She told us all about their 3 successful kids that were now spread out between Alberta, Manitoba and Ontario. A couple of times she tried to get us to leave insisting that we didn't need to waste our time waiting for her husband, that she could see him back to bed herself. I encouraged her to let us stay and make sure her husband could get back to his bed. She gave in.
I am glad that we stayed. The elderly man was able to use his walker and get less than halfway down the hallway before his legs gave out beneath him. We rushed to catch him, and carefully carried him to his bed. After another 10 minutes standing by his bedside, his loving aqnd doting wife explained to us that everything was as good as it could be for now. So, I bid our farewell.
2 hours later we were just clearing a MVA (motor vehicle accident) when dispatch asked if we were able to take another call. It was at the same house we had been to for the medical assist earlier - lift assist. Dispatch advised that the patient was unconscious. Knowing who it was and his medical problems, we were concerned that the elderly man wasn't just unconscious but dead.
Pulling up on scene, we found the ambulance had already made it there too. We walked in just in time to hear the elderly woman asking the Paramedics if they knew where we were. I popped my head around the corner and said we were right there. I explained that we had been out of position for the call and as luck has it, the ambulance made it to their residence faster than we did. Both the husband and wife were happy that we had finally arrived.
Turns out that her husband had his BP drop significantly. He was even weaker now than when we were previously out. His devoted and no doubt exhausted wife looked as if she was barely keeping it together. Clearly she was worried about where this downturn in health was headed. After making sure the patient was loaded into the back of the ambulance and in good hands, I quietly approached the worried woman. I told her she looked like someone that needed a hug. She simply nodded her head and gave me a big hug. While there isn't much we can do long term for her husband I hope that a simple hug and some kind words let her know she isn't alone in all this.
Sometimes, what people really need cannot be administered through medication/drugs. Compassion and understanding are available through hugs, no prescription needed... free of charge... available 24/7. Not a quick hug, but where you hold on to a person for 3-4 minutes tightly so they can actually feel a genuine sincere embrace.
I'm sure we'll be back again.
╔════════════════╗
Lieutenant
╚════════════════╝
