Not being ageist, but.....

[Non-Driver]

Was this really worth the risk for a 91 year old in an urban area ? I know its a pretty selective shot but there doesn't look like a lot of margin for error to me......

BBC NEWS | England | Helicopter rescue drama in town (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/8246281.stm?ls)

[FloaterNorthWest]

I'm sure the 91 yr old and his family think it was worth it!

I'm also pretty sure that the land ambulance paramedics, air ambulance paramedics, the ambulance control, air ambulance doctor and the pilot thought it was worth it too or they wouldn't have done it.

You are correct the camera angle doesn't show the full story so we shouldn't make a judgement on it.

Well done to the Great North Air Ambulance.

[heliski22]

There was an old man working as a handyman in a golf club. He turned in every day, did his few little jobs, keeping to himself and generally minding his own business. But he had been there for a very long time and even the senior members only ever remembered him as an old man.

One day he took a bit of a turn and was carted off to hospital in an ambulance and the few people who were about thought that was the end of that. However, a couple of weeks later, our old friend turned in for work again, same as before, mooching about, doing his jobs and generally minding his own business.

One of the members asked him how he was and so on, then got around to asking him how old he was.

The old man said, with more than a little pride "I'll be 95 me next birthday!"

"Good Lord!", said the younger man, "I'd no idea! I don't think I'd like to be that age, just getting by like that. No, I definitely don't think I'd like to be 95!"

The old man stopped what he was doing, studied the younger man for a moment and with only a hint of smile replied.....

"You would if you were 94!"

[Tarman]

Nice to see the nose cone on G-HEMS is looking good again after it's recent Seagull collision !

[What Limits]

Who are you to assess risk on the basis of patient age, colour, sexual orientation or creed.

This is a fundamental of HEMS operations worldwide and is why the US HEMS industry is on the verge of being closed down.

You as a pilot make your risk assessment based on aviation matters not medical matters.

Would you accept higher levels of risk for

A box of rocks
A child
A gay person
A person of colour
A person of age

If your answer differs for any category then your risk assessment is corrupt.

[AnFI]

This is a trick right?

The odd one out is the box of rocks ..... isn't it?
(Doh!)
:confused:

[bigglesbutler]

Watch the video again and it looks like there is an intersection between houses (big gap) between the first house on the left and the next with the yellow signs, and the HEMS looks to be in that intersection thus giving more room than we percieve. Well done to the crew for doing the job, especially with what looks like a crosswind.

Si

[Miles Gustaph]

Good job by the boys from Penrith... and please remember that these guys are a charity and not funded by the government... personally I'm glad to think there is someone out there who'll go the extra mile for us... where do you make donations?

[Whirlybird]

Not being ageist, but.....

You ARE being ageist, quite definitely!

[TorqueOfTheDevil]

Does anyone know the background to this incident? It's puzzling that the land ambulance personnel preferred to wait for an aircraft to come all the way from Carlisle rather than setting off by road. Driving from Berwick to either the Wansbeck or Edinburgh RI would hardly take longer than waiting for the aircraft.

[SASless]

Must be the UK Healthcare system concept of NICE is at play here.....perhaps at age 91 there should have been no assistance rendered by medical authorities at all!:ugh::rolleyes::=

Give the old fellah an Aspirin and have him mail in the Tenner!

Yer not being ageist......just a complete tw@t!

[MartinCh]

Kinda OT here, some people seem to have the same 'logic' of things when it comes to violent crimes.

How killing an adult could be worse than a child (or fragile granny, in brutal mugging etc)? One person, one life each.
Does the justice system (whether judges or members of jury in some cases and places) thing egalitarian and anti-ageist? NO
There are way too many preconceptions, too much prejudice and bias.

heliski22, nice story. I'll try to remember that one. Sure life does change our views with age.

[Whirlygig]

How killing an adult could be worse than a child (or fragile granny, in brutal mugging etc)? One person, one life each.Quite often it's the motive and degree of psychosis of the murderer and the vulnerability of the victim that "grades" murders.

Can't see how that is analohous to saving life.

Cheers

Whirls

[Heli-phile]

I,d walk on blooded stumps if would save some old boys life,
Landing in an intersection is well worth the trouble.

[Flying Lawyer]

Not being ageist, but.....
Was this really worth the risk for a 91 year old

:rolleyes:

[airborne_artist]

Was this really worth the risk

Suggest you ask the aircraft's captain. Only he will be able to tell you, but given that he's been doing it for a while, I'd love to be the fly on the wall when you ask him!

[What Limits]

My point is quite clear to me!

Consider two options for information regarding the same task

"There is a child trapped in a burning car"

"You have one patient, vehicle accident, airbags deployed, location....."

Once you allow emotion or prejudice to affect your judgement, you inevitably will place you and your crew in a situation with elevated risk.

Many is the time that I had to face the wrath of the Paramedic and the Ambulance Control because I would not fly, typically because the weather was not good enough.

[Blue Rotor Ronin]

Oodles of room:ok:

[Agaricus bisporus]

Off course it’s a fallacy to try and grade importance/need of medical assistance on age basis.


Oh no it isn't!

Its called "triage" and is an age old and accepted medical concept that is practiced on a daily basis in hospitals, at accident scenes etc.

[Whirlygig]

Oh yes it is.

Triage isthe process of sorting people based on their need for immediate medical treatment as compared to their chance of benefiting from such care. Triage is done in emergency rooms, disasters and wars when limited medical resources must be allocated to maximize the number of survivors.

It is not based on age.

Cheers

Whirls

[AlpineSkier]

Whirligig

So if one doctor had to deal with two emergency patients , both suffering severe heart attacks, one aged 40 and one aged 90, you really believe that the age would not be predominant in the treatment-decision ?