Okay, face it, everyone is a little stressed out. Just listen to the evening news when they discuss road rage incidents and school board debacles if you don’t believe me! That said, when did we lose our civility and kindness? One of the most recent, disturbing stories was related to a passenger on an airplane who was literally, physically, duct-taped to their seat as they were physically violent with a flight attendant! Seriously? I know travel can be frustrating but what the heck is happening?

Sadly, we in healthcare are not faring any better when it comes to angry patients, families, and staff. We have our own crosses to bear with regard to that! In a recent article posted on AP News, a hospital in Missouri has experienced triple the number of assaults on staff members as previously reported. That is frightening, especially when you consider how vulnerable the staff can be, they are running from room to room and are facing the same staffing challenges we are in post-acute care. What I found interesting was that this medical center is using grant money to add buttons to identification badges worn by up to 400 employees in the ER and inpatient hospital rooms. Pushing the button will alert hospital security, launching a tracking system that will send help to the endangered worker.

Remember when we put DASH on the back of our name badges? What happened to those days? My hope is that as the pandemic continues to wane, we can put politics and hatred aside and return to a more civilized world. Sure, we were never perfect before the pandemic but wow, we have a long way to go to just be okay! Stay well, stay informed, and stay tuned!