As I was checking out from clown doctor rounds the other day, a woman – I hesitate to say ‘older woman’ because I’m precariously close to, if not already part of, that demographic – approached, looking a bit frantic and lost. She needed a wheelchair to get her husband to the ER; said he was in bad shape.
But she’d parked in the road 200 yards short of the ER entrance.
Since there was just one staff person at the main desk, and she couldn’t leave her station, I jumped in, grabbed a wheelchair near the front door, quickly got familiar with the release bar, and headed out to the curb, upbeat but calm – no fool pushing this chair.
After helping the gentleman into the chair — he seemed a bit sheepish that his wife was in such a tizzy — I took him down to the ER and waited with him while she parked the car in the Emergency lot.
After checking in, I wheeled him into Triage and offered to stay until they felt settled. She was still jittery, muttering something about needing to move the car again. I was the calm one in the room; she needed a calming influence more than he did.
Walked her out to her car a few minutes later and found it crossways in a no-parking zone. She shrugged, I smiled. Then she couldn’t find her keys, the (keyless start) car started anyway, she found a new spot to park, I walked her back in, together we took a deep breath and she was reunited with her husband; some semblance of peace restored. Smiles all around. “Thanks for being there for us.”
Being there. I can do that.
OK, where was I? Oh yeah, on the way out.
But she’d parked in the road 200 yards short of the ER entrance.
Since there was just one staff person at the main desk, and she couldn’t leave her station, I jumped in, grabbed a wheelchair near the front door, quickly got familiar with the release bar, and headed out to the curb, upbeat but calm – no fool pushing this chair.
After helping the gentleman into the chair — he seemed a bit sheepish that his wife was in such a tizzy — I took him down to the ER and waited with him while she parked the car in the Emergency lot.
After checking in, I wheeled him into Triage and offered to stay until they felt settled. She was still jittery, muttering something about needing to move the car again. I was the calm one in the room; she needed a calming influence more than he did.
Walked her out to her car a few minutes later and found it crossways in a no-parking zone. She shrugged, I smiled. Then she couldn’t find her keys, the (keyless start) car started anyway, she found a new spot to park, I walked her back in, together we took a deep breath and she was reunited with her husband; some semblance of peace restored. Smiles all around. “Thanks for being there for us.”
Being there. I can do that.
OK, where was I? Oh yeah, on the way out.
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