Hospitals and Helpers

We are getting to know the Immanuel St. Joseph Hospital in Mankato, MN a little too well. On May 20th, I had surgery there and was not at all pleased with the level of care I received or rather didn't receive. In the middle of the night, I actually had to use my cell phone to call information to get the number of the hospital so I could call and get a nurse to come into my room... kinda scary. In the morning, my surgeon actually had to call my hospital room to see if I had seen a nurse as no one was returning his call from the nurses station.

Last week, I met the the head administrator and shared these concerns and others with him. He listened and hopefully took some action. I told him we would not be returning anytime soon... but, hey, what do we know.

On Saturday, we got a call from Ma's nursing home (Mike's mom) that she was bleeding internally and was being transported to ISJ in Mankato. In the last 48 hours, we have been there a lot, Mike is there now, and I want to report that the nurses and staff have been wonderful! Ma suffers from dementia and is not always able to communicate her needs and wishes but the nurses attending her have been gentle, kind and very understanding and patient. She is on third floor in the ICU area where I was on 2nd, perhaps that is the difference - I don't know. All I know is that I have gone from being a critic to being a supporter.

Helpers make all the difference when you are in need. Individuals who can smile when cleaning up a mess, nurses who ask how they can assist us - the family, a radiologist who explains what is happening and what was seen or unseen, a doctor who agrees that invasive treatment is not merited for Ma, another nurse who tells us about options, yet another who gently re-explains what may happen and on it goes. We have come to realize the huge number of people it takes to make a hospital function and I have come to realize that the vast majority are truly caring helpers!

Speaking of helpers... they are everywhere! My mother physically has had a tough winter and is house bound these days. She has a lady that comes into her home 5 days a week for 30 minutes to an hour. This helper is a Godsend! Diane has a wonderfully positive attitude and seems to know what to say to make mom feel better. There are others from the church that bring mom communion regularly. A nurse checks in on her almost every week. And the most important helpers for mom right now are family members. Rich and Anita and their girls, Pam and Becky and Cheri, have administered to mom's need for months. All of them have given countless hours of help to make mom comfortable and able to stay in her home. Jeanne has been a frequent visitor and mom enjoys conversations with her.

Our Pastor is a wonderful helper! We intended to help out with Vacation Bible School beginning last night. When Ma needed us more, Pastor Shelly took the sketchy plans I had and said she was sure it would work out. In addition, she gave me some reading materials to help us administer to Ma. She knew just what to say and what to grab. And the information met a need we didn't even know we had.

It is easy to just cruise through life "along the side roads" and take things for granted. So I am glad events have forced me to stop for a minute and reflect on all those wonderful people in life who are HELPERS. Thank you! This iris is for you!