One of the things I have encountered as part of this internship is the variety of constituent calls that come in. Most of the time, those who call in have a specific issue they want to comment on, or a staffer they need to speak to. Those are the easy ones.
Sometimes, though, in the course of the day, a more challenging call will come in. This kind of constituent mostly wants to either vent or just find a listening ear to unload their troubles on. I had one such call the other day from an elderly woman whose husband is a veteraan with a long list of health problems including dementia and Parkinson's. He was having trouble getting the care he needed, or any care at all, at the Phoenix VA hospital, about which there has been no shortage of new lately. She was almost in tears as she described the difficulties they had both gone through as a result of this, and I felt powerless to help.
I couldn't help but wonder if things like this are a symptom of the tendency of government to take on more than it can handle. Healthcare for veterans is a rapidly growing responsibility that is overwhelming the system that is currently in place. I don't claim to have the cure-all for the issues plaguing the VA, and we're all probably sick of hearing about it if we follow the news closely, but I sincerely hope, for the sake of the veterans and their families, that the right short-term and long-term solutions can be found.
Adam, I agree it's really difficult to listen to someone describe a really difficult problem and not be able to do too much to fix it. The goal of those calls for me personally is to empathize and emotionally connect with the caller. They really do need a listening ear and I do hope that the VA problems get fixed soon too. It really is a terrible situation.
ReplyDeleteAdam This must be hard to listen to someone who don't know and they spill everything at once. I'm glad to read and see that you are a supportive person. That elderly lady must of been really happy to know there's someone listening to her troubles. I wish you luck with your internship this summer.
ReplyDeleteAdam,
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like it can be difficult at times, but definitely a learning experience. I wish you the best of luck throughout your internship.
This sounds it can be nerve racking but a good quality depending on you approach the situation.
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