Keeping Pace with Wanda

"Don't throw that away!"...

wholderman — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 00:22:00 GMT

Folks were asking me this morning what I did over the weekend...well, I purged! I got in one of those moods where I wanted to clean the place up, and watch out, when I put my mind to it, if you're sitting in the wrong place, I may load you up for Goodwill...

...my husband was not too pleased either...he was watching me sort through items and identify what I thought was for the trash bin, or a trip to the Thrift Store...however, he and I disagreed on many items. He would say "hey, why are you getting rid of that?, don't throw that away!" My response was, "have you used it this past year?" He would confess, "No, but I may need it!". I told him the rule was, if we haven't used it for a year, out it goes!

By the time I was done, I had TEN lawn-size trash bags ready for the dumpster. The back of his pickup was LOADED with giveaways! My goodness, what we think we can't do without!...or the deal I couldn't pass up in the Skymall magazine!

When it comes to Joint Commission or other agency unannounced visits, we need to have "cleaned the place up", be ready at any moment, have our Policies and Procedures "purged" and current, and I hope if we haven't brushed up on something in over a year, that we get in the proper "mood" to be competent, compliant, and capable!

"Keep it Down Would Ya?"

wholderman — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 18:18:00 GMT

I read a story about a woman who was sued by her neighbor because the "flushing of her toilet, running up and down the stairs, banging doors shut, and other household noises including ironing (what?!?)" were such a nuisance that eviction was being threatened. Talk about thin walls...the apartment resident did confess to double-flushing after each toilet use! And the sound of ironing clothes?-whoa!, she must have used too much starch! Yikes!

Well, I do believe this is a bit extreme don't ya think?, but allegedly the complainant indicated she suffered from mental health problems because of the "noise"...wow, how do you balance the "rights" of both tenants?

Seriously though, when patients are under our care and need a quiet environment for healing, it is a challenge to control the noise of an acute care facility, even at night...how do you balance the needs of providing the services, which inevitably create some "noise" and yet provide a "peaceful night's rest"? Well, it's just plain ole tricky...it's just some good courtesy principles when possible: try to cohort interventions to allow periods of respite inbetween, close the room-door if appropriate and safe, dim the lights, use a softened tone when speaking...and...NO IRONING!

The Value of One and All

wholderman — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

I was talking to a staff member last week and we discussed my heartfelt philosophy about the significance and importance of every employee and that even though each role may have varying accountabilities, no matter what your "title" is, each one is very special and has something valuable to contribute to the organization.

In healthcare, no one individual can even begin to take on the enormous responsibility to accomplish what occurs day in and day out to care for patients and provide the array of services we do...in some ways, what happens in healthcare could be viewed as very simplistic and straight-forward (you know, follow the policy, carry out the written orders, obey the regulations, complete the checklist) and there are many times where the same type of patient and their condition or other non-clinical circumstances occur and we know how to adequately care for them in our sleep...then, there are plenty of times where the unexpected happens, the patient didn't respond as warranted, the formula was wrong, the technique that was used 100 times before went awry, and the tried and true procedure went out of kilter.

I'm glad that I'm never alone, I don't have to make a decision in isolation, I have great resources to bounce an idea off of, and no matter what designation is on someone's name tag, everyone can work together to provide the highest quality experience for our patients, in fact, for me as a hospital administrator, I cherish the feedback and ideas from staff who are working closely in the care and service environment on a regular basis.

Sometimes I need inspiration to varying degrees: creative, efficient, strategic, business, enthusiastic, intuitive, and insightful...those usually don't come from one person, but many...so remember that no matter what position you hold in the organization, you are an important part of the healthcare team.

$16,000 for four years of college?

wholderman — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 00:06:00 GMT

Well, in 1967 maybe...my husband and I love watching Andy Griffith reruns...just gives me a "feel good" experience, you know, the simple pleasures of life, the warmth of Aunt Bee's kitchen, Andy's easy-going style, Barney's wacky attempts to keep crime off the peaceful streets of Mayberry, and Opie's innocence.

An episode we watched last evening featured Andy's amazement and distress that four years of college for Opie was going to cost $16,000. He wanted to make sure Opie had every opportunity to attend college, then when Opie told him he wanted to be a dentist that would require an additional 4 years of college, Andy was even more distraught.

What were things like in 1967? Well, gas was 33 cents a gallon, a new house was about $14,000, yearly income averaged $7,300, rent per month was $125, a brand-spanking new car ran you $2,750, and a movie ticket was $1.25...my my, wouldn't Andy be shocked to know that YEARLY college tuition averages $26,000!

Fast forward to today..costs seem to be spiraling out of control, consumers are weary and worried, and the situation seems overwhelming. I do long for that imaginery land of endearing, down-home, and beloved characters of the Andy Griffith show in the lazy town tucked away in North Carolina where Barney, Goober, and Gomer were inept, but precious, and it seemed that problems and worries of any significance were far and few between...OK, snap out of it Wanda! Seriously, try to embrace the blessings in your life, even during stress, and focus on things that make a lasting impact like friendship, integrity, volunteerism, and a pat on the back...these things don't cost much but are priceless and can apply in the personal and work-setting.

Never give up!

wholderman — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 18:21:00 GMT

The Summer Olympics will be upon us soon...these events are full of success and gold-medal stories, but many of the sagas did not begin with a victory...here are some inspirational stories about a variety of "winners" and their tenacity and commitment to achieve excellence:

Paul Hamm was a gold medalist at the 2004 Olympics in gymnastics, but not before slipping during a vault landing, crashing into the judges' table and dislocating his jaw...after falling to 12th place, he decided to go and give the best performance of his life, and was determined not to hold anything back.

Henry Ford failed 5 times at starting a business and then on the next try, was successful. Beethoven's teacher called him "hopeless" as a composer. Colonel Sanders offered his recipe to over 1,000 vendors before he found a buyer (you know, those famous 11 herbs and spices!), Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor for "lack of ideas", Albert Einstein did not speak until he was 4 years old...his teacher descibed him as "mentally slow, unsociable, and adrift forever in his foolish dreams", the Star Wars movie was rejected by many Hollywood movie studios initially, General Douglas MacArthur was turned down when he applied at West Point, Babe Ruth holds the record for strikeouts, in 1954 a manager at the Grand Ole Opry fired Elvis Presley after one performance, the classic Gone With the Wind was turned down by more than twenty-five publishers, Heisman trophy winner Herschel Walker was told he was too small to play football...and the stories can go on and on.

In the heathcare setting, the demand is high, the expectations are even higher, and perfection is anticipated by all who come to us for services. There are times when we "slip on the landing"...don't get discouraged, be determined to train more diligently and acquire knowledge and experience, and "Never Give Up"!

Paranoid about doing laundry?

wholderman — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 20:17:00 GMT

Well, not necessarily unless you experienced what a woman in Maine did...she was removing her clothes from the washing machine at her farmhouse and noticed the independent motion of the garments...as she began digging in the pile, she saw something that caused her to scream, slam the lid shut and call Animal Damage Control.

When the operator arrived, he pulled and pulled and out came an 8 foot non-venomous reticulated python! How special! He surmizes that the creature arrived in her washer through the household pipes, oh that's reassuring. I have also read about these critters showing up in toilet bowls, under car engines, and in the garden...I hate snakes!

I did not realize until a friend of mine informed me, in New Zealand, there are no reptiles...the "fish and game" division of this province is very strict about animal control and prohibits any migration and maintains strict border control in that regard...I think I'll move to New Zealand. :)

I also think I'll start turning on the bathroom light when I get up in the middle of the night before sitting on the porcelin throne...and now I have a legitimate excuse to leave the laundry chore up to the man of the house!

Seriously, there are many folks out these days catching a hiking adventure, and may run into these varments, take care, steer clear, and run like the dickens in the opposite direction!

"I've fallen and I can't get up!"...

wholderman — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 23:46:00 GMT

...as my husband fell 8 feet down a ravene on his bicycle, he said that numerous thoughts were racing through his mind: "this is going to hurt, I should have listened to the guy in front of me that said he takes the hills very slow, how should I 'try' to land, I wish those rocks weren't there, my bike is going to be thrashed, I hope I don't break anything, I hope I don't hit my head, Wanda is not going to be happy with me...".

Well, I'm glad to report that 4 days later, he's doing pretty good, finally obtained an x-ray (it's OK) after much scolding by all who spoke with him, and he's hobbling around without a crutch.

He and some other "serious" cyclists were at the top of a path known as "Wildcat" (it not only is known for wild cats in the area, but a wild ride! as the grade is very steep). They were preparing for the descent after a torturous climb, the guy in front of my husband said he didn't take the hills very fast...he headed down, turned a corner, my husband lost sight of him and as he rounded the same corner realized in an instant that he had three choices-veer right and hit the side of the hill, stay the course and take out himself and the guy in front of him, or veer left...in a flash he made the decision to go left and, well, there goes the slow-motion fall.

My husband did have the presence of mind to start yelling for help immediately as he and the other rider were the last down the hill and he knew that the rider would be long gone if he hadn't summoned him right away. The other riders were eventually congregated to "evacuate" my husband. Because they were a signifcant distance from their vehicles, it was quite some time before he arrived home.

He is fine as I stated earlier, but, his beloved bike is totaled. For those of you who are into cycling, you know what a big deal losing a reliable bike can be.

Well folks, he plans on "getting back on the horse" and I hope this story is not a deterrant to newer riders who are just building your confidence (I don't think you'll be going 38 miles per hour down the mountain like my husband)...hey, I fell just standing still on my bike, I lost my balance, couldn't get my toe-clip out in time, and down I went...more embarrassed than anything!

Stay the course and try to have some fun!

A Safer Cigarette?

wholderman — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 17:57:00 GMT

You're joking, right?!? Apparently, the nation's largest cigarette maker has failed in yet another attempt to sell Americans on a potentially safer cigarette....the "Ultra Smooth"...they tried to use a high-technology filter. This product failure highlights the cigarette giant's challenges in finding something ot offset their loses in sales. In the past, U.S. sales declines did not impact that much as international business was stable and even growing, but now the servere U.S. sales decline is not even mitigated by the overseas business.

So, here they go again trying to put resources into engineering reduced-risk products, like carbon-activated filters that still deliver nicotine but at much less exposure of carcinogens than the convential products. Oh, and then there's the product that "heats" the cigarette, versus burning the tobacco....bizarre! Well, there's more, how about the smokeless product? Hey, it's "spit-free" (more attractive you know), if you want a pinch between the cheek and gum! And last but not least, there's the moist product...."snuff" and that product apparently is growing in popularity....."Marlboro in a can". I guess "taste and flavor" does matter, even with tobacco users!

Well folks, I know that for those who smoke, it's just plain 'ole almost impossible to quit...but as you know, there's nothing "safe or reduced-risk" about it! If you smoke and are motivated to quit, I applaud you and wish you the best...there are some awesome resources out there and a tremendous amount of success...keep at it, you can do it! Life is precious and good health even more so.