by Debra Collins

Created on: January 08, 2007   Last Updated: July 25, 2009

Have I ever fallen in front of someone you ask, well let me set the scene for you. A crowded dinning room of a large nursing home, visitors and staff milling about as well as residents seated or about to be seated. It was our policy for managing staff to take turns delivering meals to the tables as another way to touch base with all the residents on a daily basis. The meals and condiments are carried to the tables on trays or a cart is used for multiple trays. It is a large room, kind of segregated into three areas, tables scattered throughout. Between two of the segregated areas is a short walkway that goes out of the dinning area toward a living room and the front doors. A desk is positioned right where the walkway starts, this is for a greeter to sit. Now a picture is hopefully painted in your mind.

On this day I was assigned the duty of meal trays plus since the greeter was away from her desk I was keeping an eye open for any visitor that might need assistance. I had two nurse aides passing with me and we had about half the room served when the phone rang. Part of the duty of greeter during meal times is to answer the phone because this is when the Business Office Manager takes lunch and since I was the one wearing that hat, I raced for the phone. I know what your thinking....down I went, right? No, I was able to catch the call and found out it was a family member for a gentleman seated just off to the side of the desk so I got the phone to him, delivered my meal to my resident, turned and took off toward the kitchen for the next tray but completely forgot about handing the phone to the gentleman at the table. Back then we didn't have such a thing as a potable phone so I had actually walked the phone, cradle and all, aver to his table.

This left a short amount of cord across the floor. You probably won't believe me when I tell you this, but I was the chairperson for the facility's Loss Control Committee (Fire and Safety) for years. I helped to write the facility's Safety Policies....I know not to run cords across walkways or to use extension cords or obscure walkways and exits in any form or fashion. This wasn't a walkway, it was a space between a table and a wall barely two foot wide. It was just enough room to sneak through in a hurry and I could have if it hadn't been for that snake of a phone cord just laying in wait.

As fate would have it, as I skinnied through, I was trying to save a few steps and did I ever. The cord caught the toe of my right foot as I went through the space and I remember starting to pitch forward further and further into the room but not understanding the momentum. The next minute I was face down in the middle of the dinning room, the tray I had been carrying was hurdled toward the girls standing at the kitchen waiting for trays. It was like I was trying to pick them off like you try for a spare in bowling. They scrambled for cover and the whole dinning room and kitchen went quiet. Everyone was up, looking over the tables at me lay spread eagle on the floor...and in a skirt no less!

I instantly wanted to cry, not so much because I was hurt but my pride was definitely cracked. I did think maybe I could get away with faking an injury, that it might take peoples minds off the embarrassing aspect of the whole situation. My conscience got the better of me and I rolled over, got my composure and after being helped up I took a bow and announced my next feat of flight would be during supper, approximately 5:15pm, tickets on sale until 5:00pm. I got a round of applause and a room full of laughs.

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