Wednesday, February 13, 2013

An Elderly Challenge

    The other day when I went for my lab tests there was a very elderly lady dealing with the next clerk. This lady was well up in the nineties and her eyes were level with the counter top. In our system we must show our health care card and driver's license. She told them she didn't have a driver's license and wanted to know why they wanted it. They told her they just wanted to check her age . Her reply was, " I used to always be three years older than my brother. " I had a tough time not to roar with laughter. I like comments like that.

    Then I started thinking. Here's very elderly lady on her own in a large , sprawling hospital. She walked with a cane. Why doesn't someone assist  this senior with some of the basics. I'm sure she was very much with it in her head but physically she was challenged.

    She had been dropped of by a bus service from her senior's residence at 7:30 AM. What time did she have to get up and be ready to wait for some bus? 

   A volunteer had offered to get my paper work done and take me to another part of the hospital. I refused this aid as I had been through this routine before.This poor little lady was on her own. 

    I have a hard time to feel fortunate when I see someone who has to struggle on her own to get things done when there should be some help.