The First Day After a Fall
The questions predict nothing. They give a friend at the desk something to say.
Picture a woman named Hattie, 76. She has lived abroad for six years and speaks the local language well enough for the market. She does not speak it well enough for a hospital form.
One morning Hattie fell on the stairs of her building. A neighbor heard her and called for help. An ambulance took her to the nearest hospital, which was a private one.
Her friend arrived later with Hattie's handbag. The staff at the desk had questions. Who would pay first? Who was the family? Who would sign for her?
Her friend did not know whether she was permitted to sign. She did not know whether a public hospital would have been different. She sat in the hallway with her phone and called Hattie's daughter, who was asleep on the other side of the world.
Hattie recovered. Afterward she said, "I would have liked someone to have asked these questions before the stairs."
Hospitals work differently from country to country. So this is a list of questions to bring to a local doctor, a lawyer, a friend who has been through it, or the hospital itself. The answers may differ from what you would guess.
| Question to ask ahead of time | Why it may matter | Who might know |
|---|---|---|
| Which hospital would an ambulance take me to, and could I name one instead? | The choice may be made in a hurry | A local doctor, neighbors |
| Is it a private or a public hospital, and how does each handle emergencies? | Costs and waiting may differ | The hospital, a local lawyer |
| Who pays first, and is a deposit or a card asked for? | A friend may be asked at the desk | The hospital's office |
| What language will the doctors speak, and is there someone who translates? | Decisions depend on understanding | The hospital, a local friend |
| Who may sign for me if I cannot, and does it have to be a relative? | A friend may be turned away | A local lawyer |
| What would the hospital want to see: passport, insurance card, a list of medicines? | A folder by the door saves a trip | The hospital, the page called One Page for the Day You Cannot Speak |
| Who will the hospital call, and in what order? | The family far away may wait for news | You, in writing |
Hattie went through the list with her friend over coffee. They did not have all the answers. The friend telephoned the hospital's office, and a kind voice told her what the hospital would want. Hattie put a folder by the door with her passport, her insurance card and the page called One Page for the Day You Cannot Speak.
"Now someone can grab it and go," she said.
You could…
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Pick one question from the table and ask it this week.
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Visit the hospital you would choose, and ask where the emergency door is.
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Put a folder by your door with the documents a stranger would need.
What did the first day look like for someone you know? Share it here. Someone reading may ask a question they had not thought of.
Figures are estimates for planning, based on public data.
Tell us in the comments