Some abuse the system...others don't

This story in the Sun Journal of Lewiston, Maine tells a story of someone who is definitely not a system abuser.

It seems this 72-year-old woman was ambushed by her daughter with a hatchet. The woman then drove herself to the hospital.

Quite the contradiction to the 3:00 am taxi ride isn't it? Of course I suspect that the mother was trying to protect her daughter from arrest and left the scene to keep the police out of the picture.

Oh the places I could take this post. I'll limit it to two:

Be aware of elder abuse. It is on the rise (as is suicide in the geriatric population). We normally dismiss violence and suicide as a young person thing. Wrong.

and

Assess each patient as if it was the first time you saw them.

I was born and raised in Upstate, NY. We had quite a few frequent flyers at all times of the day and night. Maine is a different story. People here grow old and tough. I have seen twice the number of people (often 80+ years of age) NOT call EMS so they don't bother the "boys" on the ambulance (they don't know "girls" can do this kind of work). Raging chest pain, injuries. Hatchet attacks. Some need EMS and don't call for a variety of reasons.

In EMS there is always a story.