Last weekend, we contemplated taking my Dad to the ER. (Sidenote: do all medical inconveniences only happen Friday night through Sunday?). After consulting his on-call doctor, the crisis was averted, and we avoided the dreaded trip to the emergency room. As wonderful as modern medicine is, long waits, punctuated by germs and forms, seem endless at the ER.
That's why my ears perked up when I heard this story on NPR last week:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=100823874
An emergency room specifically geared to seniors: What a genius idea! Simple changes make a big difference for seniors who need special care: non-slip floors to minimize falling, low-glare lighting to reduce eye strain, sound-proof walls between exam areas to reduce confusion and noise. Perhaps the most impressive of the changes in this new ER for seniors was the commitment of the staff, all of whom have completed geriatric coursework.
Here's the link from the Maryland newspaper:
http://www.gazette.net/stories/02042009/poolnew190946_32475.shtml
Seems to me we've got infants and children pretty well-cared for in the U.S. healthcare system. Now, let's give seniors the same attention and care, but adjust it to best meet their needs.
Be well.
