Session 18

Session 18, March 17
Sporting a green sweater for St Patrick’s Day I rushed off to my session on a gorgeous March day. Only a question from Cherie got me there on time since for some reason I was thinking treatment was an hour later. It felt like May. Of course the therapists with the exception of the person who came out to get me never saw my greenery. I was in my gowns as usual and as I often do I wondered if there isn’t a way to eliminate the cost of washing thousands of hospital gowns that are worn for only a few minutes. I suppose washing is better than disposable but there is still the water, the labour, the chemicals and the energy for washing. The solution would have to involve more privacy for patients than the change and sit in a public area allows. Maybe it could be done like a psychiatrist’s office with separate in-doors and out-doors; in this case with a change room before the in-door. It might at least cut it down to one gown per patient. I suppose there are experts looking at process design all the time for these things given the continual pressure to cut hospital costs. Maybe the washing machines could be powered by excess patient gas or hot air as in this case.

What one therapist did notice was my new and very short hair cut. When I said my wife doesn’t like it so short this generated a whole conversation among the 4 of us, all male.