Friday, January 8, 2010

FRIDAY FAST ONES


1. There was a story on the news the other morning that keeps coming back to me. I may just be getting to be a cranky old bag - but I don't think so. A woman in Texas called 911 because her baby was choking. She stayed on the phone with this guy for 11 minutes asking him over and over what to do - he just kept saying calm down. (Apparently it didn't occur to her to hang up and call someone else.) Eventually the baby got to the hospital but died a couple of days later.


Without a doubt fingers are being rightly pointed at the poor training of the 911 operator who had no first aid assistance to offer. And to the police for making the 911 operator job such a low paying and low priority job in their department that they allow untrained people to answer calls from people who think their tax dollars have been spent on emergency training.


What gets me is the mother wailing and moaning over no help with her choking baby and being afraid it will happen to her other kids. Has it occurred to her to learn to care for her own family? Classes for CPR and First Aid are taught EVERYWHERE. You can even go online, read a book. My kids learned it. I learned CPR when I was in college and infant CPR before I brought my first baby home.


That old saying about needing a license for just about anything but having a child is so true.
2. Catholic hospitals and doctors have been mandated to provide life sustaining food, water and medicine to comatose patients who have no hope of recovery. For those who have directives and family members who know their loved one would not wish to be kept in this state are generally left to move the patient from the Catholic hospital or nursing home or doctor in order to carry out their wishes.
Certainly all involved with the faith have the right to practice as they are directed. I just think that if the Catholic Church is going to mandate such an expensive intrusion on the health care of it's members and non-members alike, the Catholic Church should pay for the life extending care.
3. I know it's not just me. Why is it the one receipt, the one tracking number, the one appointment card that you really need is the one you cannot find?
4. Over the holidays Tom and I started going to the gym at about 6 on Friday night and then to a light dinner at about 8. It has become our little date night. We have found that going out on Friday evening makes the weekend seem longer. Another bonus.

3 comments:

Ruben Major said...

I own and operate an online CPR certification website at: www.cprclass.org. As a Paramedic, I think it's important to spread the word about this skill and stir up as much interest as possible.

smalltownme said...

I learned infant/child CPR when I had my first son, and as an aide at school we get recertified every two years. Everyone should learn.

Yay to date night! Good for you.

jenn said...

I'm absolutely with you on this one. I took infant CPR when I was pregnant with my oldest child and renewed it when my second was born.