As you travel the back roads for your weekly luncheon with mom, you think about the tasks to be completed that day: A trip to the grocery store. A quick stop at the bank. Shuttling kids to and from sporting activities.
Your mind continues to compose the list as you pull over for an ambulance with lights and sirens blaring. As you round the corner of your parents’ street, you see your father and several neighbors in the driveway; your heart skips a beat.
Your father says mom walked to the mailbox, twisted her ankle, fell and hit her head. She laid in the driveway for about 20 minutes before dad went looking for her. The paramedics insisted on taking mom to the hospital for a quick review and assessment. And so, the ride begins.
Changed Plans, Many Decisions
The next three hours are spent providing insurance information, reviewing past medical history, answering questions about the incident, undergoing multiple tests and waiting to see the emergency department physician. Mom appears to be fine and so your mind starts to revamp the list from this morning: the groceries can wait until tomorrow, hit the ATM on the way home, my sister may be able to shuttle the kids around. Then, the doctor arrives. Test results show abnormalities and the physician recommends that mom stay for observation and additional tests.
Many of us will experience similar situations like the one described. Most of us desperately try to avoid a trip to the hospital, so we avoid talking about the possibility, making us unprepared to traverse this emotional rollercoaster ride. Nearly one in five Americans will visit an emergency department at least once a year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We must get out of our comfort zone, do research, and be prepared for an unexpected hospital stay as well as what follows.
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