As a healthy senior citizen, Ralph Burke hasn’t spent more than a few hours in the hospital in his 82 years, so when he was brought in by ambulance to the Brant Community Healthcare System (BCHS) earlier this year, he was grateful for the thorough, professional healthcare team that provided care for him.

Ralph was on his way to put the recycling containers out in front of his Paris home one Monday evening and the next moment he woke to his wife, Ruby, and a neighbour beside him in the yard. Ralph had fallen. He later learned that his neighbour was driving past Ralph’s home and saw him on the ground in his yard. There was blood on the side of his face from where he’d fallen on a garden rock. An ambulance was called.

“Next thing I knew, we were in the hospital,” said Ralph, who said his memory about this part of his emergency is a bit fuzzy. “I assume it was a doctor looking at me to determine what had happened.”

Ralph’s testing included a CT scan to provide a detailed view of his organs. His physicians wanted to look for injuries caused by his fall, as well as any signs that could indicate why he fell.

“I was well photographed,” said Ralph, who was admitted to the hospital and underwent further blood tests and diagnostic procedures.

Further scans showed Ralph had suffered two broken ribs from his fall, but they ruled out that there was any damage to organs such as his spleen or kidneys.

Despite being a bit banged up, Ralph said he was feeling good enough to go home, but it was determined he should stay another day.

“The one doctor said to me, ‘You’re not leaving until we figure out why you passed out’,” he said.

He was discharged the following day and returned later for an MRI, or Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Ralph was very pleased with the care he received as a patient of BCHS.

“Everyone was excellent and very concerned for my health and how I was feeling,” he said.

They were also attentive to any personal needs. For instance, Ralph has slight claustrophobia, so staff was able to accommodate him by moving his bed.

“Anything you ask for, if they didn’t have it, they’d go out of their way to get it for you,” he said.

He was even quite pleased with the food choices available to him as a patient.

“The food was very healthy, with minimal salt and fat.”

As Ralph learned first-hand, when crisis or illness impacts you or a loved one, the Brant Community Healthcare System is here to offer you exceptional healthcare in your time of need.

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