Old man bones
Yesterday I brought the old man, 93, and the old lady, 95, to the Center for Senior Services at Park Nicollet Clinic. The old man had to have a post hospital follow-up with their primary care physician, Dr. Stockman. The old man is doing as well as can be expected. He weighed in at 129 fully dressed including sports jacket and shoes. That is very thin for a man who used to be almost five feet eleven inches. The old lady is being treated for osteoporosis and I asked why my father is not even taking calcium. At the hospital I had noticed every old man was a falling risk, they get so frail.
Much to my surprise, insurance does not cover routine bone scans for elderly men. They can be treated for erectile dysfunction and prostate, hell they can even get mammograms, but their old bones are totally ignored. Do they not break hips and arms and shoulders? By going around the conventional rules, and using loss of height for justification, we were able to schedule a bone scan for next week. I asked how long it takes for medication to show improvement. That could take one to two years. Given that he might not live much longer, is it worth it? But given that he might live forever just to piss everyone off, why not?
The Olive Garden Experience
My friend took me to the Olive Garden last month for my birthday. It was adequate. When asked if we wanted desert, I asked about something for my birthday. They don't give a scoop of ice cream or anything else anymore. When I got home I sent an email saying I thought it was bad policy, especially since they were right next to Chili's which gave the old lady a beautiful sundae without asking, once they knew we were celebrating her birthday. I got a letter back talking about giving directly to the community through their foundation. They also sent me a twenty dollar gift card for bothering to get in touch with them. Penny wise, pound foolish. It would have cost them so much less to give a scoop of ice cream.
When I picked up the parents yesterday the old lady told me the old man had not eaten a thing at lunch that day. I gave him a bottle of Boost and a straw and he drank it in the car on the way to Dr. Stockman. While we were waiting I asked if they would like to go to Olive Garden and help me spend my gift card. The lunch at their dining room they assured me, had been uneatable. A naked hot dog without any bun and cooked carrots. They asked for mustard and was told none was available. The old lady, who usually puts up with whatever is served said, "You know me, I don't complain. But if even I couldn't eat it, you know it was bad." She then reiterated that she doesn't complain.
You have seen the commercials for Olive Garden. "When you are here, you are family" is their slogan. That is probably a good slogan. They treat you with the casual disrespect shown in most families. They expect you to know the family secrets, don't open the door for you, and eat what you are given without comment except to say that mom is a great cook whether she is or not.
I am not going to list chapter and verse of all the mistakes that were made. The food was tasty and the old lady loved it and the old man ate a little soup, a little pasta, and three shrimp. As we left the restaurant the manager opened the door for us and I asked her to step outside for a moment. I told her that I have done a lot of food service and that these days a serving job is not just for college kids, that it is a real career for many people. And as such, they needed to improve their serving standards. I did give her examples, and as she said, it wasn't anything big, but it all added up. She thanked me. I feel better for having said something.
No comments:
Post a Comment