To most Chronic Kidney Disease and Dialysis patients, the idea of calling an ambulance and it never responds is the making of a terrible nightmare or far-fetched fantasy scare. However, this was the real-life reality of a woman at DaVita Renal Center West, according to police.
Published by the Joliet, Illinois Patch, "An elderly, sickly woman was left for hours in an empty, closed Dialysis facility Halloween night and died the next day." After police saw the woman, Firefighters gained entrance to the facility shortly before midnight, October 31st, and transported the 71-year-old woman to the hospital where she died the next day after suffering, "all types of medical problems," the report noted.
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While it is not completely clear, the woman may have been left at the facility for as many as eight (8) hours after an ambulance that was scheduled to pick her up from the DaVita facility never did so. Many Chronic Kidney Disease, Dialysis, Diabetic and High Blood Pressure patients may wonder, "How could this happen?" An honest miscommunication? Gross oversight? Poor coordination? The answer may never be clearly provided. However, what is apparent is that patients must take a very active role in their care at all times, especially during the busy holiday season because big mistakes can happen.
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While the woman that suffered this terrible accident is not to be blamed for her circumstance in any way, Dialysis patients can take an important lesson from this unfortunate occurrence: Do not delegate your well-being to anyone else. If something seems odd or peculiar as it relates to your health, step forward and say something. Do not remain silent. It may well improve the short-term and long-term health outcomes of yourself and others, and your Healthcare Team will be much appreciative.
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KidneyBuzz.com does not know to what extent the police will be investigating this Dialysis patient's death, but in a similar instance of negligence earlier in the year, a police investigation did not appear to lead to any publicly announced results. Have you ever found yourself in a compromising position as it relates to your care? What did you do and what was the outcome.
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