If a patient seeks immediate treatment for a stroke within three hours, Wilber says doctors can use an IV treatment to break up the blood clot. Within six hours, he says, doctors can try inserting a catheter to remove the clot. “To be able to get the three-hour treatment, you really need to present to the emergency room right at the onset of symptoms,” Wilber says.
Don’t ignore the signs
People often mistake symptoms of a heart attack or stroke as a less serious problem like acid reflux, and try to endure the pain until it passes— missing that critical period of time when treatments are most likely to work.
“Unfortunately, there’s a lot of evidence that people wait a couple of hours, or even couple of days, before coming to the emergency room or calling 911,” Khare says.
Khare says even the time spent waiting at the emergency room can cut into the golden hour’ needed to save a patient’s life after a heart attack, stroke, or fall injury. He says calling an ambulance could be a better option because trained paramedics can make an initial diagnosis and begin treatment immediately.
Older adults who live alone are particularly vulnerable to delaying emergency medical care because they may not realize or want to admit they’ve sustained a heart attack or a stroke, Wilber says. “So they stay home and stay home, and finally when they can’t get it to go away, they come in.”
Wilber says people who live with a spouse, family, or at a retirement community often seek treatment sooner because other someone around them notices they are experiencing unusual symptoms. “They’re going to call an ambulance for you,” Wilber says.
No one wants to think about dealing with a medical emergency, but knowing that people who know you and care about your health are always available can relieve a lot of anxiety.
Medical care when you need it
Warren Breckenridge
lives at Sedgebrook, where an on-site emergency medical team is always available. “The most important part to me is the fact that the staff is trained in emergency medicine,” Breckenridge says.
If a problem does arise, the coordinated efforts of Sedgebrook’s security and medical staff and the use of the newest technology ensure residents get the treatment they need right away.
“I love that Erickson HealthSM has specialists in geriatric medicine,” says Sedgebrook resident Gene Golemo. “With the electronic medical records system, my history goes into the computer, so if I ever go to the hospital, my records will be there.”
‘Safe and secure’
“Residents feel safe and secure with our medical team and officers,” says Gary Kupsak, Sedgebrook’s facilities manager, who oversees a 12-person team. “Every time they treat a resident, he or she ill tell other residents how comfortable the team made them feel and how professional they were.”
Sedgebrook’s emergency medical team includes two paramedics and six emergency medical technicians, and the rest of the security team is all trained first-responders. Kupsak says the team has a “full array of medical equipment”and “can do almost everything an ambulance can do.”
A team of experts working together
Medical care doesn’t end with emergency treatment.
Dr. Elliott Kroger, Sedgebrook’s on-site physician, works closely with the emergency team to deliver the highest quality care in every situation.
“They can expedite a transfer to the hospital when that’s necessary,” Kroger says. “They can do it in a manner that’s appropriate…, and they can notify the [patient’s] doctor, so that a trip to the emergency room can be a little more informed.”