In case of an emergency..

For accidents do happen!

The thing about accidents, they are something we can’t plan for, or can we?

Recently I had an accident that required me to be taken to Hospital by Ambulance.

Not-withstanding arriving by ambulance, an interminable amount of time was spent waiting in the Accident and Emergency Department before being admitted. Perhaps naively I had hoped that the issue would be dealt with as an outpatient so I had not come prepared for what would eventually be a week in hospital.

Hospitals are almost timeless and allow you a lot of time to think. I kept remembering my grandmother telling me as a child to always wear clean underwear in case you were ever in an accident. So at least that was covered.

However, if you ever find yourself in this predicament, here are a few things I would suggest you bring and consider, especially if you live alone. As these will help to improve the quality of your stay.

• Make sure someone you trust has a spare key to your home
• If you have pets, ensure you have someone who can feed them
• Have an emergency bag at home with toiletries, underwear, lounge wear and footwear. This will avoid people rummaging through your personal belongings to bring you
• Pack a spare phone charger and headphones in the bag – as hospitals are noisy, also people snore
• Have reading material in case you get bored – for you will
• Have someone you can call on to pay you a visit you, as well as bring you little goodies
• Be understanding that loved ones don’t always live nearby
• Be practical by ensuring you can still operate your finances online from your phone or someone you trust, can see to your affairs

Hopefully you will never be in this position, but these small things will make an unexpected emergency stay much more comfortable and much less stressful.

Take care of yourselves folks. Hopefully you won’t need it.