
There's this guy I know, Walt, who likes to walk around his medical care complex every morning. He's kind of a hunk, but getting a little older. Today, one of the caregivers, very attentive, noticed Walt was out of breath, and so she checked his oxygen saturation with this cute little device they stick on his finger. She freaked when she noticed the percentage was 85. Not great oxygen sats, normally.
She called Walt's doc and told him Walt's oxygen was 85% and he was out of breath. The doc said to get Walt to the hospital. She called an ambulance, bundled Walt into the back and the ambulance personnel took him to the ER--no, Mel was not his doctor. By the time Walt got to the ER, his oxygen saturation was 97%. Pretty good for an old hunk.
Did I mention Walt was 92 years old? And that he walks with a walker every morning? Oh, and did I mention that he'd just finished his walk when his oxygen saturation was checked? 85% isn't too bad for a 92-year-old man just back from a major morning workout.
Somebody should've mentioned it to the medical personnel before the ambulance trip. It would have saved a lot of people a lot of worry, and Walt would have gotten his breakfast and his nice, hot shower, which he loves after a strenuous morning workout.
It's great to be attentive and caring, but sometimes being attentive means simply taking time to observe and listen.
This is a good lesson for me, because there are times I don't stop to listen. I jump to conclusions too easily. Sometimes I may speak a sharp word when I take something the wrong way, which could mean hurt feelings, or hearing the wrong directions when the directions are important. People aren't necessarily jerks when they say the wrong thing at the wrong time. It just might mean they may want to slow down and listen, take time to hear from the heart, take time to think before reacting.
Ever had that happen, when you speak a split second before you realize you should have taken a little more time to observe and listen?
Labels: Breathless, elderly, listening