Parenting the Parents
Posted: March 7, 2010 Filed under: EMS, Parenting, Thoughts 12 Comments »
My Dad asked me to stop by his house and drop off his mail. “Just use your key and leave the mail on my chair.” He asked. So, on my way into town last Friday, that’s what I did. Nothing unusual about that.
However, this is the first time I’ve used the key he gave me – and it’s probably the first time I’ve been in his house without him there. I took the opportunity to look around. I felt a little sad, a little nostalgic, a little pity/compassion, and a little sad.
Several times in my EMS career, I’ve treated patients in their home, loaded them into the ambulance, and sent them off to the hospital. Often, I was not the lead paramedic, so I was left behind to clean up the mess and chaos. Medication boxes, IV disposables, and other assorted messes we make when we are busy treating someone in the midst of a medical crisis. Indeed, someone must lock up and secure the home too.
