HOSPITAL ROOMMATE

For those of you who have spent time in the hospital, you know that you do not get a choice of roommates. During my recent stay,I got to know one of the fellows in the next bed fairly well.

On Wednesday night, I did not get a lot of sleep because this older gentleman kept complaining that he was cold and would constantly ring for the nurse. Of course, every time she came in, enough noise was made to wake both myself and the third guy in the room.This older fellow, Harold, would be constantly ask for a warm blanket because he was cold. It seemed to me to be about 90 in the room and I remember thinking, "how could he be cold?"

All night long he would complain , so I didn't get a lot of sleep.

The next day, we started talking and he told me about himself. He was in for a broken hip, thigh and knee ,all on the left leg.No wonder he was in pain. He had been there for over 3 weeks. As the day went on this older lady came to visit him and we talked for a few minutes. She told me that Harold would most likely have o go to an assisted living facility where he could get help during the day or evenings if he needed it. She also informed me that she was Harold's daughter, not his wife. She was 68 years old and Harold was 98. I could hardly believe it. Here was a very nice fellow who had been living on his own for a number of years,who was 98 years old. He was as sharp as a tack. He could remember things from before I was born. To put it simply, he was amazing. When my family came in, they saw his daughter and they too, thought it was his wife. He certainly did not look to be as old as he was. I am still in awe of the clarity of his mind. And when you think about how many old people die from broken hips, I could understand why he was in so much pain.

During the next day and a half, we spent a lot of time talking and I realized a lot of his pain and complaining was simply because he was lonely and wanted some attention. I can't say that I blame him. Only his daughter came to visit until the day I was leaving. The staff was short with him and sometimes treated him with very little compassion. I know it is there job to make sure he gets moving, but there are better methods than some of them used.

When you think about all he has seen or done in his 98 years, it boggles the mind. Not only has he seen the turn of a century, a new millennium , but he has almost lived for a century. He has witnessed the development of planes and seen men walk on the moon. He has gone from crystal radio sets to television and the Internet.

So Harold, Here's to you. I hope you make your century