Pony party: More Glass

My grandmother ended up on the Ortho floor when she got admitted. I think even though her initial problem was fatigue and respiratory difficulties that was the only bed open at the time. She was there for two weeks and frankly probably one of the more mentally alert and physically mobile people on the ward. Although the hospital was in was a bit old and cramped, it was clean and she got good care. I trained there as a nursing student and was astonished at how similar it still looked. The resident in charge of her care was a thoughtful and soft spoken young man who was initially a bit wary of me. I asked so many questions about tests and the plan of care he asked if I was an MD. I laughed, twenty years ago nobody would have asked a middled aged woman that question. He nicknamed my mother and I the “advocates” and when he came in to see my grandmother he asked if “the advocates” were coming in to visit. We were there every day and sometimes not at the same time as him. The local hospital system has a thorough program of assessing all elderly patients who are admitted with a goal of keeping them independent. That was why my mother was taken aback my the probing questions by the social worker upon admission. They did not suspect abuse as my mother feared but were just starting the protocol of team assessment. Health care in Canada is far from perfect, the care people receive in small towns and isolated areas is very spotty, small communities have a hard time attracting MDs, and there are wait lists for non-emergent procedures that are longer than in the US. But, my grandmother happens to live in a city with several hospitals, and the system despite flaws works quite well for ordinary people. Wealthy people or those who want special  VIP treatment tend to complain about it and claim they were forced to go to the US for treatment.

Talked to grandmother today and she sounds alright.

Well… enough rambling… I will show you a few more pictures from the glass exhibit.

Thanks for looking and feel free to share any photos you have taken. Remember, don’t rec pony party, hang out chit chat and then go read the wonderful offerings on our recent and rec’d list.