The Older Man

I worked eight years for hospice, as a home social worker visiting dying patients and families in their homes. Interesting would not be a word to describe what I did, but life changing would fit the bill.

Hospice has a mission statement, organizational chart, department heads, a budget, and a board of directors. They receive funding from Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance, and donations. Patient’s admission is based on the following criteria – a physician’s order stating the patient has six months or less to live, the patient no longer is seeking curative treatment. We worked in teams consisting of nurses, social workers, home health aides, homemakers, volunteers, and chaplain

Every morning we have a team meeting reviewing the night’s activities and  assigning of new patients. We receive the necessary information including name, address, telephone numbers, medical records, much visit the patient within  forty-eight hours. We schedule appointments,  seeing five to six patients a day, with a goal of visiting seventeen per week.

This seems like any organization, but dealing with terminal patients sent me into a different world where the priorities consisted of  patient care, pain control, and quality of life.

I worked with highly educated, dedicated, caring individuals, who would not stop working till the job is done because there is no such thing as  tomorrow. This is the first chapter on a series and the next one will cover referrals and admission.

The earthquake and tsunami, which destroyed Japan is over, but the threat from the nuclear power plants is on going. Radiation is leaking, putting thousands in danger, and causing massive evacuations. The Japanese government and other countries are doing everything possible to assist the citizens, but it will take years to repair the destruction caused by a double natural disaster, and nuclear crisis.

Japan is not a third world country; their people begin preparing for earthquakes and tsunamis at an early age. The drills they practice for these two events prepare them better than any nation on earth and their high-rise construction saves thousands of lives.

The media in the United States rushed to Japan – sending picture after picture showing the devastation, human suffering, and focusing on the nuclear crisis. Even though the radiation leaking in Japan is a local problem, and would dissipate before reaching the U.S. – people still were stocking up on iodine pills, which are effective only after radiation exposure. The safety of our nuclear plants is under review and government officials are screaming for new regulation.

The Japanese take their preparation, drills, and warnings seriously, and expect the government to evacuate all citizens to safety. Americans have no drills, the evacuation plan is; run for your life, and warnings for tornados and hurricanes dismissed. The only ones who heed these warnings live in tornado alley. The rest wait, and wait and wait, and then when they are suppose to evacuate stay because they are not going to leave their home. After a nature disaster, the citizens expect the government to be there immediately to rescue them. Many do not have the necessary supplies because their lives are too busy prior to the event. The news media pours in and films the human suffering, the government is to blame, and citizens do not take responsibility for their actions.

The Japanese have it right. Their government prepares them and once they are safe start to rebuild their lives so they can assist their neighbors. The elderly are the first cared for because they are the countries national treasures. They do not whine, sue, or blame anyone when nature has its way.

 Americans should stop whining, complaining, suing, and blaming when Mother Nature comes to visit.