A Pocket full of smiles

Back in the 70s, the healthcare environment differed from today. HIPAA would not be enacted until the mid-’90s, and a pandemic was not considered. Extended hospital stays were covered by insurance and could be justified on the doctor’s word, or even at the patient’s or caregiver’s request.

Back then, people often had elderly kin under their care admitted for a week for a rest and a checkup. While the senior was being looked after by the nursing staff, the family could take a much-needed vacation.

Such was the situation I found myself in one evening while doing my nursing school clinical rotation. I was working the afternoon shift from three to eleven, and putting the patients to bed was a responsibility of ours. While attending to an elderly, pleasantly confused gentleman at bedtime, I removed his robe and was about to hang it up. It was heavier than it should be, and it was emitting a gentle clanking sound, like the pockets were full of seashells. I took a moment to investigate his pouches and discovered they were both overflowing with dentures. He had been collecting them from patients up and down the wing all evening.

To make sure all the people had their own grins the next morning, the staff spent the rest of the night calling dentists across that part of the state. The conversations went something like this, “Hello Dr. Blithers, sorry to wake you. This is Virginia Plump. I’m a nurse at Holy Moses Hospital in Townville. One of our patients, trying to be helpful, collected everyone’s false teeth this evening and stuffed them in his pockets. We are eager to return them all to their rightful owners. Here is a list of our guests who have dentures. Are any of them your clients?”

Submitted by;

Mary Hawn, RN