Losing Time: Forgetting Loved Ones Is My Greatest Fear

If one has no memory of their past experiences, how is that different from never having lived them? I had not considered it before but I have lived quite an extraordinary life. I have overcome much and found peace within myself and come to peace with those around me. I guess I'm living within that brief but blissful period that my mother, aunt and great grandfather had experienced as they approached their elderly years.

At last I reached a point in my life where I can say I have no regrets and enjoy each day I have been given. But I have begun to notice I am losing items more frequently. My glasses seem to get up and walk away. My phone vanishes from its charger beside my computer. Even my coffee cup disappears from its place on my desk. It's not so much the misplacing of things that worry me but the places I find them. Why would I find my glasses in the refrigerator, my phone in the yard and coffee cup in my vehicle? I'm concerned that I have no memory of having placed these items where I find them. This is an indication that I am losing time.

I often sit at my computer to work with intent to reach a certain goal within a given timeframe. I will work for what seems like an hour or two and look up to see five hours has gone by. I review my progress and find I have certainly not done five hours of work. Could it be I have been sitting here in a trance for an entire three hours? My family thinks me mad but I have asked them to keep an eye on me. If I seem as if I have blanked out give me a nudge to bring me back.

Another thing that concerns me is my inability to remember names of those I've known my entire life. This doesn't occur with everyone. But certain acquaintances if I haven't thought of them in a while, I will forget their names. Their names will not be on the tip of my tongue but totally wiped from my memory. This makes me feel like an idiot when they surprise me at the store. Sometimes I can play it off. I remember who they are I just don't remember their names.

I think of my aunt during the years after my uncle passed away. Her memory progressively deteriorated to the point where she would ask me repeatedly during the course of our conversation where I worked. By all other respects she was sharp. She could refer to the topics we had discussed yesterday or last week. Just that one thing she could not remember ever having asked me. My daughter, Claire, assures me I haven't been repeating myself or asking the same question repeatedly. She did admit I have a tendency to worry excessively but this was not a new thing. My daughter will not always let on she is concerned. My mother, Claire's grandmother and I have learned she will make a point to accompany us to our next doctor's appointment if she is worried about us. Claire sat with me in the doctor's office and listened intently as my physician assured me it's only natural to experience some memory loss with age.

In light of these new concerns, I value my writing even more. At least I can read my own works and be reminded of my most important memories. And this is the crux of it. I'm not so worried for myself but for how my friends and family will feel if I ever come to no longer remember them. My daughter put her hand on my cheek and smiled lovingly at me as I told her, "If I could only keep one memory in my mind forever it would be of you. Please never forget how much I love you, even if no longer remember myself."

Previously Posted on FullofKnowlege.com

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Health Care Providers Protect Your License!

When in doubt, always err on the side of life. That's what we do as health care providers. The unique aspect of being a health care provider whether you are a nurse, EMT or First Responder is that you never really leave the job. At any moment, no matter where you are, you could be called upon to save someone's life. But there is a myth that a gray area exists somewhere between delivering life saving care and violating health care policy. There is no gray area.

It's chilling to think that you could be held legally liable or even face criminal charges for doing your job as you were trained in an effort to save a patient's life. The reports of health care providers placed in this situation are frightening to the rest of us in the field. The best way to protect yourself and your license, as a health care provider, is to be aware of the laws governing your state and the policies of your place of employment.

DNR

Do Not Resuscitate orders have often been the focus of confusion in the health care field and is the classic gray area scenario. Again, there is no gray area here and the DNR aspect of patient care is there to clearly define your role as a provider in the event of the existence of a DNR order. If a DNR order exists you can not provide life saving measures to the patient. The patient, or those responsible for the patient, have expressed their wishes to not have life saving care should their heart stop or they stop breathing. DNR is a legally binding expression of the patient's and/or family's will.

The first thing you do as an EMS provider when you arrive on a scene is to ensure your scene is safe. Many elder care facilities may have policies in place regarding the care of their patients in cardiac arrest or have stopped breathing These policies may protect the employees of the facility but they do not protect you. The DNR order must be with the patient upon your arrival for you to be legally relieved of your responsibility to provide care. If the nurse informs you of a facility policy to deny care but cannot provide a DNR, your scene just became extremely dangerous. You must obtain documentation from the nurse that he/she refused to allow you to treat the patient. Annotate this in your own report and make your on duty medical control physician aware of the situation. Remember, their facility policy does not protect you as an arriving EMS provider.

Working For an Elder Care Facility or Home Health Agency

Nurses should be aware of a facility's policy on patient care before they accept employment. As mentioned earlier, different facilities have different policies regarding patient care but all these policies are written to protect the facility not the nurse. Being aware of your legal responsibility to your patient as outlined by your state is the best protection from liability. When a facility's policy deviate from those you are obligated by the state to follow you should not work there.

Good Samaritan Laws

Good Samaritan Laws are generally accepted provisions by the state that protects you as a health care provider in the event you happen upon a patient in need of life saving care. DNR and facility policy do not apply if the situation is spontaneous and occurs outside of a care facility. You are expected to perform life saving care as would be reasonably expected of any health care provider possessing the same skills and training. In the unlikely event this patient has a DNR with them in clear view of you at the scene of the incident then the DNR would apply.

The purpose of this discussion is to help remind us that there is no gray area. Those licensed and employed in the health care field must be aware of their state's laws regarding patient care as much as they are expected to remain current with their medical training. The same advice for protecting yourself from a potentially dangerous scene will protect you from the medical/legal dangers as well. Being prepared is the best protection

Sources/Resources

Previously Posted on FullofKnowlege.com

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Edenjaid worked in EMS for 6 years and studied in Health Sciences at University of West Alabama