No thanks to a bureaucrat.

Lynn, a social worker at Bethesda Hospital in St. Paul, is a bureaucrat. That ain’t a compliment. It means that Lynn is rigid and inflexible. She  goes by the letter of the law/rule. No budging. It would be nice if Lynn were more accommodating. And made more effort to meet the needs/desires of patients and care-givers. Lynn announced last Wednesday night that my Alzheimer-riddled friend Ron was to be discharged Thursday morning from Bethesda’s rehab unit. But for Ron’s daughter Julie, that was going to pose difficulties. Because she had to make arrangements (completing paperwork) to get Ron enrolled at a nursing home. She might need an extra few hours. Maybe even an extra day. To manage the task. There were complications. And Julie was becoming a nervous wreck. Her husband Rick was out of town. And not due back for another day.  So I intervened. Phoned Lynn. And pleaded for understanding of Julie’s plight. But no, there was to be no extension. Bureaucratic rules are bureaucratic rules. Fortunately, I knew what to do. I entered the bureaucracy. Went to the higher-ups at Bethesda. And found another ally at Ron’s new nursing home. She intervened, too.  Turns out that we got a 24-hour extension. No thanks to bureaucrat Lynn.  –Jim Broede