SHORTSTORIES

LAST WORDS I was working in a long term care facility in the 90s. We had a patient named John who came in with a terminal disease. The staff all loved this man. He was so kind and his wife of over 60 years attended to his every need. We quickly became close to this family. I wasn’t working his hall the evening he died, but all the nurses were aware it was going to be on our shift and were checking on him and helping his nurse as much as we could. During night med pass, another nurse and I walked into his room where his nurse was by his bedside. He was obviously taking his last breaths and his sobbing wife was crying, “John, come back, don’t leave me!” Time and again he would visibly pull himself back, trying to live. His silent lips were forming the word “love” as he tried to tell her one more time he loved her. We nurses stood there with tears streaming down our faces. It’s one of the few times I have cried in a patient’s room. After he died,

IS FOOD DELIVERY SAFE?

Food delivery has gone from non-existence to a huge industry that is offered locally and nationally. Food can be ordered from around the corner or around the world, but all of it needs to arrive safely.

It not usually a issue with non-perishable items (unless mice got into a box during shipment or something), but it can be a big deal with food kits or restaurant meals. Ideally, local orders should be made for a delivery time when someone will be home. When placing orders, confirm delivery time, and don’t be shy about inquiring about their food safety practices during delivery. For instance, do drivers make multiple deliveries on each run? If so, some orders could be in someone’s hot car for an hour or more. Hot foods should arrive hot; cold food should arrive cold. If you can’t be home when a delivery is scheduled, find out if a neighbor can refrigerate your food until you return, or arrange for the delivery to made at your place of work. If you’re ordering from someplace you haven’t used before, the above questions are especially important, and maybe even their guarantee or return policy might be good to know. Speaking of returns, no matter how much something may have cost, if a return or a refund isn’t possible, throwing food away that doesn’t look or smell good, or has been sitting unrefrigerated for more than an hour or two (depending on ambient temps) is way cheaper than food poisoning or diarrhea.

The other big dog in food delivery these days are food kits from national suppliers. Presumably, national firms have their food safety and packaging act together, including dry ice to keep frozen things frozen as they should be.

his wife sobbed harder than I thought humanly possible while we tried to get our act together and do what needed to be done. Thank God it was close to the end of the shift. Professionalism is attending to other patients without any sign that someone died, let alone that your heart was broken.

The next day we realized each one of us had to pull over at least once on the way home because we were crying too hard to drive.

Anytime I think of the power of love, I think of John and his wife. The memory is bittersweet and haunts me to th is day.

Instead of problems upon arrival, the potential snags with food kits can start when the box is opened. Keep frozen things frozen until it’s time to cook them. Once food prep begins, like a good chef, start by washing your hands and making sure food prep surfaces are clean. Avoid cross-contamination: don’t cut up raw chicken or seafood on the same surface you’re using to slice carrots for salad, Follow recipes carefully, not cutting corners on time or temperature. Buy a good quality food thermometer to ensure foods are cooked to a safe temperature. They come in handy for the backyard grill too.