Spring 2013 - Memorial Hospital of South Bend

The Best Carefor the GreatestGenerationEmergency care for seniorsa top priorityElizabeth “Skipper”Dahl and husbandMorris are enjoyinglife in Niles, Mich.Married 62 years, Elizabeth “Skipper” (Delp) andMorris Dahl are not unlike other retired seniors whoenjoy spending time with their grandchildren andtraveling. The Niles, Mich., couple used to travel thecountry in their motor home, even spending wintersin Florida. But for the last couple of years, except forcamping trips in the summer to Michigan state parks,the Dahls have preferred to stay closer to home.And being close to home has made a big differencein her health. Still active at 87 years old, Elizabeth,who experiences chronic heart problems, needs bloodtransfusions every two months to help with her extremeanemia and a blood disorder. On Oct. 5, 2012, shereceived her 18 th transfusion at Memorial.“I had two units of blood that Friday at MemorialHospital, and then Saturday I woke up and I felt reallyuncomfortable––I had chest pain. One of the items onthe list to look for was chest heaviness, and it didn’treally go away,” Elizabeth recalls. Because she hadundergone a mitral valve repair and had a pacemakerimplanted several years earlier, she decided to go toMemorial’s Emergency Department (ED) to see whatwas causing the symptoms.Keith Sherry, M.D., EMS and MedFlight medical directorat Memorial Hospital, said the ED staff is very thoroughin evaluating patients.Quality Care, Quickly“We compress testing that would normally takeseveral days into a far shorter period of time. Wecan do a work-up in several hours that, as anoutpatient, could take the better part of a week,”Dr. Sherry says. “Plus, we get results back promptlyand can consult directly with the patient’s physician.This gives the emergency physician real data thatallows him or her to determine whether the patientis able to go home or requires admission for furthertesting. And this all occurs in an acute-careenvironment capable of responding immediatelyto any sudden change in the patient’s condition.”While in the ED,Elizabeth underwentan electrocardiogramto checkthe electrical activityof her heart.“I couldn’t getover how nice thenurses were,” shesays. She also hadSpecial Senior SupportOur Emergency Departments offer:D On-site access to mobilitydevices and home care suppliesD Personalized discharge planswith senior-specific guidelinesD Follow-up calls for seniors dischargedto homeD Eldercare-trained social workersD Magnification aids and largeprint materialslab work and a chest X-ray, and the providers determinedshe was safe to go home.Memorial has made a concerted effort to providepatients, especially elderly patients like Elizabeth,with the information they need regarding their health.ED senior support services include follow-up calls,screenings, social services and flexible visitationpolicies, all of which are available as part of the newinitiative at both Memorial Hospital and Elkhart GeneralHospital. “We want to do everything we can to meet theneeds of seniors,” says Memorial Hospital PresidentKreg Gruber. “Because of these improvements, seniors,along with patients of any age, can count on anoutstanding level of ED care at Memorial.”In the meantime, Elizabeth is feeling well again andlooking forward to more camping trips this summer.“You know, those first two years we didn’t go to Floridafor the winter––I didn’t even miss it,” she says. “Wehad more fun watching and feeding all the critters andbirds in our own backyard.”Elderly patients who have a health question can reach a nurse bycalling The Health Professionals line at 574-647-6800. Also, getpreventive health care information and more at seniorERcare.org.Spring 2013 | qualityoflife.org19