My elderly neighbour (~80ish) knocked on my door this morning and said she couldn't get in because the person who boards there with her (~30ish) was in the shower... at first I thought she meant she was locked out of the house and he couldn't hear her, but no, he was in the shower for an extra long time and not responding to her calling.
I went over there with a long thin screwdriver but that was no good as the door was basically padlocked with a little latch about six inches above the door handle, so she agreed with me to break it down (what else can you do at that stage). I tried kicking but couldnt get much power as my back was against the wall so I was too close. She didnt have a hammer, so I went back to find mine but saw a big heavy pole in her driveway, and that worked pretty well against this wooden door, breaking a hole big enough to squeeze two fists through, and allowing us to see he was lying naked on the ground, shower still running, some blood coming out of his nose. I was able to reach through and unlatch the lock, and then quickly check to make sure he's got a pulse and breathing - yes and yes.
I tell her we've gotta call 000 (emergency) for an ambulance. You might be wondering why I hadn't already called for an ambulance - because every second is critical, and being able to physically reach him seemed priority #1, and I can't break a door down while talking on the phone at the same time.
But she doesn't have a phone, so I run back to my place again and grab my phone and call. I then stayed on the line with them, they were talking me through various things to keep checking (keep him on his side in the recovery position, make sure he's not in a position to swallow his tongue or vomit, several times counting when he makes each breath to check his breathing rate, etc) until the ambulances came with sirens on (two main ambulances and one mini-ambulance, so six paramedics).
It seemed to take about 5 mins to arrive, but the call lasted over 18 minutes so Im really confused there, but time does seem to warp during emergencies. When the first ambulance arrived (which is usually when the call is ended) the emergency operator thanked me for my help and I thanked him for his help - he was always giving really clear instructions which helped give me some confidence and kept me focused on what I needed to do.
Anyway about 10 minutes after the paramedics arrived he came to his senses, and was taken to hospital, where he remains overnight. I'm not sure of the cause of the incident and don't want to pointlessly speculate.
I just took this very brief 6 second clip, which doesn't show anything personal, just a quick view of the paramedics doing their lifesaving work. You can tell from the video how shaky my hands were, i was breathing heavy too, so you can imagine how hard it would've been for the poor old lady - and she can barely walk so it was a slow struggle for her just to get to my door, when every second counts.
This is only the 2nd time I've had to call 000 ... the 1st time was for a fire a few houses down the road about ten years ago.
As I found the experience traumatic due to a feeling of helplessness I reached out to the ambulance service, who recommended I do a 2 day training course, which I did - I now have 3 certifications in CPR, emergency life support, and First Aid. I will now feel CONFIDENT instead of helpless if a medical situation ever arises again.
9 сен 2024
