- Joined
- May 21, 2011
- Messages
- 3,132
Quite the day today. Nothing big happening at work, wanted to leave early though because I had to catch a train. Had some class from work during the evening and I rather take the train to it, since it's in the city and that's a pain in the ass to drive to. So anyway, right before I wanted to leave, a lady came storming into the bank where I work, shouting that the woman next door was lying on the ground in the kitchen and she couldn't help her up. So I volunteerd to go and try to help. Arriving at her house, there was the smell of smoke. Upon opening her back door and getting into the kitchen, I saw the elderly woman was on the floor, shaking. Tried to talk to her but -while being conscious- she didn't respond with words and she didn't even look at me. I did get some first aid basics while attaining my Lifeguard degree so I immediately ordered the bystander (the woman who came to get help in the first place) to call 112 (which is the European 911 
). So she went outside and did that. I immediately thought it was something cardiovascular, so I tried to get the woman into a sitting position of 45° angle since that should help breathing and oxygen intake. However, she kept grasping the edge of the sink with her hands and she clearly showed that she was in pain when I tried to get her into that position so I stopped. Then I noticed where the smell was coming from. She was cooking dinner and the pots were still on the fire, and the food was burning. So I had to turn off the fire and get those pots and pans away before the caught flames.
The woman also started to shiver at this point, so while waiting for the ambulance I got her a blanket that I found in the living room. The bystander was back and I asked her to stay with the woman while I searched for some phonebook with relatives, but I couldn't find anything. At that point, her neighbour arrived which was the (also elderly) sister of the woman (didn't know that before). She totally freaked out and was in shock by the sight of her sister on the floor, shivering and not responding. Told her to calm down and take a seat. So I went ahead and asked if she had any phonenumbers from kids or nephews, someone I could call. She said she had them near her phone in her house (nextdoors), so I accompagnied her there. Called up the 3 sons of the woman of which two answered the phone and told me they'd come ASAP, both lived in the neighbourhood.
Then the ambulance arrived and I was ordered to keep the sister calm, while they worked on the lady, since she was still freaking out and in shock. Some 10 minutes later, two of the sons arrived within a few minutes of each other. Of course they were panicking too. I stayed with them, tried to calm them down too, explaining the situation as far as I knew it. Then after a while they said I could go and thanked me for calling them. Some fifteen minutes later I came back to the parking lot since I was gonna go home (had to make that class), but the ambulance was still there so I went to ask for the situation of the woman. Apparently, she wasn't doing too well. Véry high blood pressure (they didn't say a specific number) and her body temp was 34°C, indicating that the woman had been lying on the floor for quite a while before she was found. She was hypothermic and shivering very badly at this point. So I once again tried to ease the situation by telling it'd be OK, that she was in the hands of professionals now who would take care of her. Then, after saying goodbye and wishing them luck, I drove home. About halfway home I had to pull aside 'cause then it kinda hit me. Before that I was pumped with adrenaline, but now it was slowly going away and the situation and all the impressions kinda struck me. I had to take a few moments to, I dunno, let it all sink in.
So now I'm at home, wondering how the woman is doing. Obviously, I didn't go to the class anyway. How a normal, regular day like any other turned out to be quite something. It's gonna keep me awake tonight, I'm pretty sure about that.
). So she went outside and did that. I immediately thought it was something cardiovascular, so I tried to get the woman into a sitting position of 45° angle since that should help breathing and oxygen intake. However, she kept grasping the edge of the sink with her hands and she clearly showed that she was in pain when I tried to get her into that position so I stopped. Then I noticed where the smell was coming from. She was cooking dinner and the pots were still on the fire, and the food was burning. So I had to turn off the fire and get those pots and pans away before the caught flames.The woman also started to shiver at this point, so while waiting for the ambulance I got her a blanket that I found in the living room. The bystander was back and I asked her to stay with the woman while I searched for some phonebook with relatives, but I couldn't find anything. At that point, her neighbour arrived which was the (also elderly) sister of the woman (didn't know that before). She totally freaked out and was in shock by the sight of her sister on the floor, shivering and not responding. Told her to calm down and take a seat. So I went ahead and asked if she had any phonenumbers from kids or nephews, someone I could call. She said she had them near her phone in her house (nextdoors), so I accompagnied her there. Called up the 3 sons of the woman of which two answered the phone and told me they'd come ASAP, both lived in the neighbourhood.
Then the ambulance arrived and I was ordered to keep the sister calm, while they worked on the lady, since she was still freaking out and in shock. Some 10 minutes later, two of the sons arrived within a few minutes of each other. Of course they were panicking too. I stayed with them, tried to calm them down too, explaining the situation as far as I knew it. Then after a while they said I could go and thanked me for calling them. Some fifteen minutes later I came back to the parking lot since I was gonna go home (had to make that class), but the ambulance was still there so I went to ask for the situation of the woman. Apparently, she wasn't doing too well. Véry high blood pressure (they didn't say a specific number) and her body temp was 34°C, indicating that the woman had been lying on the floor for quite a while before she was found. She was hypothermic and shivering very badly at this point. So I once again tried to ease the situation by telling it'd be OK, that she was in the hands of professionals now who would take care of her. Then, after saying goodbye and wishing them luck, I drove home. About halfway home I had to pull aside 'cause then it kinda hit me. Before that I was pumped with adrenaline, but now it was slowly going away and the situation and all the impressions kinda struck me. I had to take a few moments to, I dunno, let it all sink in.
So now I'm at home, wondering how the woman is doing. Obviously, I didn't go to the class anyway. How a normal, regular day like any other turned out to be quite something. It's gonna keep me awake tonight, I'm pretty sure about that.
