Mom fell in her bedroom earlier this week, during the night. I could not lift her and had to call 911 for assistance. they showed up after 3 hours: two guys and a student. they took Mom to the hospital as a precaution. (we only spent the night, nothing broken)
In order to get Mom out of her room and out of the house, the ambulance guys had to (a) make crass remarks about our belongings and our housekeeping style, and (b) shove her stuff all over the place, without regards for tidiness or fragility. Example 1: In the bedroom doorway there was a mini hamper / footstool that had clothes on top and sewing patterns etc. inside. It was tipped upside down onto her bed. Example 2: A naked Michael Jackson doll (in the doorway of another room) was picked up and waved around, with much laughter. Example 3: An end table that has not been moved in literally 50 years was picked up, the items on top (lamp, alarm clock, books, silver cutlery case, and much dust) thrown onto the bed, and it was replaced at a 90 degree angle, the leg through a cardboard box containing handmade items I made in the 70's and 80's. (This was allegedly done in order to shift the bed, to make more room for the carrier.) Also despite my being in a great deal of pain, and repeated requests for help, very little effort was made to help me clear the hall completely of stuff, in order to get the carrier down the hall.
The only reason I did not completely lose it (of which I have done an awful lot these days) is because I had taken a couple of Tylenol, which dull my emotions as well as the physical pain. I noted rather firmly to the clowns that I had spent the past two months cleaning by myself while Mom was inthe hospital, but they were unmoved.
When we did come home later that morning, it took the entire day to clear off Mom's bed, strip it, change the sheets, put back the end table (you can imagine the colony of dust bunnies behind it) and clear enough of the floor for her to stand safely. (lots of small things on the floor like lipsticks, batteries, easy things to trip on.)
While I appreciate that some items had to be shifted in order to help get Mom out, I'd like to know if this is normal behavior. Especially in front of a student. Mom doesn't want me to file a formal complaint. So far, besides the damaged box, I have found one broken figurine and the barrel of a cookie press was trampled.
Providing a clear pathway is far more important than doing dishes or laundry.
It's also been my experience that EMTs are very, very professional, as well as courteous, considerate and helpful. And they have to go into often unsafe situations and deal with a wide variety of patients. I admire them for their professionalism and dedication.
You wouldn't be the only one living in an overly cluttered house, but it's better to recognize the situation in the house than blame EMTs for mistreating some of your possessions. Let this be a lessons learned and focus on providing clear pathways in the event your mother falls again. CWillie's advice is insightful.
If you want to file a complaint, think about what would happen if they report you to APS and you're visited with a mandate to clean up the house and get rid of all the extra clutter. Frankly, I would suspect that the EMTs may already have done something like this, because the clutter could have contributed to your mother's fall, and the dust bunny accumulation would affect her respiratory system.
I'm sure they're mandated reporters, and if they see an unsafe situation, they're probably obligated to do something about it, which would likely mean a report to APS.
And BTW, why did you post this same question 5 times? Even if it doesn't post right away, wait a minute or two, but 5 times is really overkill.
CWillie, good points about being prepared, and that applies to anyone of any age.
As for the stuff... I suppose it is asking a bit much to expect someone in crisis mode to be prepared, but they really couldn't be expected to wait half an hour while the hallway was cleared and the furniture rearranged, and although they might have been big strapping men it isn't in their job description to move it for you.
You, and everyone reading this thread, need to learn from this lesson and be better prepared going forward. If there is someone in your house that may need to be carried out they must to be in a room that makes it possible, clutter, stairs, narrow doorways are all barriers to care and could waste precious minutes in a real emergency.
And although everyone keeps talking about big men coming to help lift someone off the floor or carry them off to hospital, you must know that EMS employs lots of women, sometimes even two women working together, so you can't rely on their brute strength to get you through.
Now what about the 3 hours to get to your home.... do you live way out in a rural area where the nearest ambulance service is 200 miles away, or did the weather play a part in the time?
What caught my attention, and I don't wish to be rude here, you mainly wrote in detail about the house and its content. How about why did your Mom fall? What is her age and medical issues? Does she use a cane or a walker? Does she live with you or you with her? Has she fallen before? Often or rarely?
As for the EMT's joking around. In all the 911 calls I had to make for my parents, not once were any of them unprofessional.
Mom may be a packrat, but she is not a hoarder. Yes we do have a lot of clutter -- we both enjoy books; we get involved in activities that generate memorabilia, paper and doodads, all of which we like to have around. Yes there was a filing box in the hall that I did not get to deal with while Mom was in the hospital, because I was too busy doing dishes and laundry and other things. (two out of three boxes was an accomplishment) And yes, fragile items should not be on or near the floor -- then again, clowns with big feet shouldn't be kicking stuff around without paying attention.
In my books, whoever makes the mess should clean it up. However I wouldn't want any of these clowns back in our house again -- even if they learn to say sorry.
Or perhaps this is an April Fool?