Omega watch gifted to me by a patient.

[TheGreekPhysique]

So for those of you who don't know I work in a hospital primarily with the geriatric population. Treatment sessions usually last about an hour and over the course of there plan of care a multitude of subject matters are discussed but inevitably the topic of vintage watches always come up. Vintage watches is obviously a huge passion of mine and its really such a natural discussion to have. Many were collectors of various objects throughout there life and these people lived through the time period of which these watches were made. It also provides them an opportunity to reminisce of the good old days. I find the discussions fascinating - same country yet so many years ago life really was so different back then. Particularly, I have had some really interesting discussions with WWII vets in my time. Its crazy to me that my colleagues seem, at times, disinterested. At some point we will no longer have first hand accounts of the events that transpired during that time.



Well anyways I was having one of these discussions with a patient last week. Basically expressing my interest in old, mechanical watches. Well I show up today and she hands me a box of old watches. Inside was this:




The dial appears to have been refinished, the hands replaced, the crown is missing but the case looks very well preserved. Such a nice gesture and amazing gift. I don't know anything more about it other than the background story but I plan on opening the case back when I get home today to learn more. I think I might start a new watchbox and put all of the watches I received as gifts from patients from over the years.

Hope you guys enjoyed the story and have a terrific Monday!

 

[gbesq]

Nico, you are a class act. Having met you in person, I can easily see how patients would respond so positively to you and it's great that you can appreciate what they have to offer. I used to love talking to my maternal grandmother, who passed at 102, about everything that she had been witness to during her lifetime. Two world wars, the Model T, the Wright brothers first flight, just to name a few. The elderly are remarkable in so many ways, but they are also historical encyclopedias. And we treat them so poorly in this country. It's really a shame and a national embarassment.

 

[bgrisso]

Really cool case and dial markers. It’s worthy of some form of resurrection. Good luck.

 

[chrisb732]

Very nice! We can learn a lot from the older generations, all we have to do is listen.

 

[fiberguy]

Sweet!

 

[MtV]

Yup, it’s a redial. But who cares, really. What a lovely story and good on you!

I’m always happy to hear when people working with the elderly can find it in them to actually have a conversation. Back when I did my community service (as an alternative to military service) I was in a mobile nursing service who employed us, among other things, to just talk to the patients. They’ve long ago stopped offering that because, well, it cost money. But the realization you can make someone’s day just by chatting to a person has stuck with me ever since.

Keep doing what you’re doing.

 

[TheGreekPhysique]

gbesq

Nico, you are a class act. Having met you in person, I can easily see how patients would respond so positively to you and it's great that you can appreciate what they have to offer. I used to love talking to my maternal grandmother, who passed at 102, about everything that she had been witness to during her lifetime. Two world wars, the Model T, the Wright brothers first flight, just to name a few. The elderly are remarkable in so many ways, but they are also historical encyclopedias. And we treat them so poorly in this country. It's really a shame and a national embarassment.

Thanks for the kind words Greg!

I agree completely. I have always been interested in history and there stories are absolutely fascinating. From the rationing that went on during WWII and the bartering of food stamps that took place to the mandated blackouts enforced by local wardens - I mean its all just so interesting.

 

[TheGreekPhysique]

chrisb732

Very nice! We can learn a lot from the older generations, all we have to do is listen.

I can't agree more. Just a TON of life experience that you can learn from all just sitting there right in front of you.

 

[TimeODanaos]

^ Absolutely.
My own mother was just old enough to serve her country at the end of WW2, and had memories to share of the difficulties of the 1930s (and 1950s too, frankly). In the final years of her life, after she was widowed, it was understandably difficult to stimulate her sometimes. Then, my wife introduced her to a great school project, which brokered meetings between teenage students and senior citizens. The former heard real life "historical" (as they sincerely saw it!) testimonies, sometimes about just ordinary, mundane experiences, that they evidently found fascinating. The latter got a new relevance, new acquaintance, and a new respect for their lives. Although she died about a year later, my ma just came alive with that connection, and I recommend schemes like that to any schools I visit or teachers or officials I talk to.

 

[TheGreekPhysique]

MtV

Yup, it’s a redial. But who cares, really. What a lovely story and good on you!

I’m always happy to hear when people working with the elderly can find it in them to actually have a conversation. Back when I did my community service (as an alternative to military service) I was in a mobile nursing service who employed us, among other things, to just talk to the patients. They’ve long ago stopped offering that because, well, it cost money. But the realization you can make someone’s day just by chatting to a person has stuck with me ever since.

Keep doing what you’re doing.

Thank you for the encouragement! I love what I do. I don’t really connect with many people my age. Just have drastically different interests to be frank. When you find out how abused and neglected the geriatric population is it’s easy to become passionate and advocate for them.

 

[Engee]

Lovely story, and I'm sure you have a very empathic and caring way with patients.

Forgive me if I say this, I honestly don't mean to cast aspersions on your professional practice. I am a psychotherapist in the UK, and while I know that your profession and mine are not the same, I imagine there is a lot of overlap in terms of ethics. I wonder, genuinely, if accepting gifts like this is acceptable ethically, when working with vulnerable people?

Again, I am curious about this. I don't wish to suggest you are behaving unethically, so please don't take my post as some kind of accusation of poor practice.

 

[TheGreekPhysique]

TimeODanaos

^ Absolutely.
My own mother was just old enough to serve her country at the end of WW2, and had memories to share of the difficulties of the 1930s (and 1950s too, frankly). In the final years of her life, after she was widowed, it was understandably difficult to stimulate her sometimes. Then, my wife introduced her to a great school project, which brokered meetings between teenage students and senior citizens. The former heard real life "historical" (as they sincerely saw it!) testimonies, sometimes about just ordinary, mundane experiences, that they evidently found fascinating. The latter got a new relevance, new acquaintance, and a new respect for their lives. Although she died about a year later, my ma just came alive with that connection, and I recommend schemes like that to any schools I visit or teachers or officials I talk to.

Heart warming story. Often times people think the only way they can help people is with money but that’s just not the case. Social interaction goes a long way and can help improve peoples mental health as evident by your story. Thanks for sharing !

 

[TheGreekPhysique]

Engee

Lovely story, and I'm sure you have a very empathic and caring way with patients.

Forgive me if I say this, I honestly don't mean to cast aspersions on your professional practice. I am a psychotherapist in the UK, and while I know that your profession and mine are not the same, I imagine there is a lot of overlap in terms of ethics. I wonder, genuinely, if accepting gifts like this is acceptable ethically, when working with vulnerable people?

Again, I am curious about this. I don't wish to suggest you are behaving unethically, so please don't take my post as some kind of accusation of poor practice.

very fair question and don’t worry I am not an overlay sensitive person so I take no offense.

the topic of medical professionals accepting gifts from patients - maybe like the UK - has been a topic of large debate in the US.

There have been peer reviewed journal articles written in the subject that discuss potential measures to assist with governing: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3860914/#__ffn_sectitle

Others have proposed it is acceptable if the value of said gift is below a certain cost and can be equally divided amongst the whole staff. It obviously is unethical if it’s influencing your clinical decision making.

In med school we did not receive any conclusive rules that must be followed. Only guidance.

In the instances I have encountered personally I don’t view any violation largely due to the fact that the value from a monetary perspective is very little - mostly sentimental. These are things that were stored in drawers and/or on the verge of being thrown away all together. Also, I have always offered to pay full market value for whatever they are worth but most decline.

In the end, they either didn’t have children to pass them down to or their children were uninterested in the watches and gave them the okay to have them gift it to me.

 

[Engee]

TheGreekPhysique

very fair question and don’t worry I am not an overlay sensitive person so I take no offense.

the topic of medical professionals accepting gifts from patients - maybe like the UK - has been a topic of large debate in the US.

There have been peer reviewed journal articles written in the subject that discuss potential measures to assist with governing: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3860914/#__ffn_sectitle

Others have proposed it is acceptable if the value of said gift is below a certain cost and can be equally divided amongst the whole staff. It obviously is unethical if it’s influencing your clinical decision making.

In med school we did not receive any conclusive rules that must be followed. Only guidance.

In the instances I have encountered personally I don’t view any violation largely due to the fact that the value from a monetary perspective is very little - mostly sentimental. These are things that were stored in drawers and/or on the verge of being thrown away all together. Also, I have always offered to pay full market value for whatever they are worth but most decline.

In the end, they either didn’t have children to pass them down to or their children were uninterested in the watches and gave them the okay to have them gift it to me.

Thank you, and for the link - very interesting. This seems pertinent:

"Others argue that accepting a patient’s gift can be beneficial. It can strengthen the friendly relationship between a physician and the patient, recognize patient autonomy, add to the patient’s self-worth, and reinforce trust."

I supervise therapists in their clinical practice and this issue came up for one of them recently. The point about patient autonomy and self-worth was the basis upon which the therapist decided to accept the gift.

 

[JwRosenthal]

Engee

Thank you, and for the link - very interesting. This seems pertinent:

"Others argue that accepting a patient’s gift can be beneficial. It can strengthen the friendly relationship between a physician and the patient, recognize patient autonomy, add to the patient’s self-worth, and reinforce trust."

I supervise therapists in their clinical practice and this issue came up for one of them recently. The point about patient autonomy and self-worth was the basis upon which the therapist decided to accept the gift.

My father was a surgeon, he constantly brought home lavish gift baskets and fancy gifts that his patients would send him (this was 40 years ago). We always hoped for the chocolate filled baskets and not the cheese and crackers ones.

 

[mrbreen]

And certainly one has to weigh the ethical considerations of not accepting a gift. Seeing as this is a small and incredibly thoughtful one of gratitude, it seems only right to accept it.

Users often pop up on this thread seeking a valuation of a family heirloom (even if that’s just a pretense), and are often disappointed to learn that the value is almost entirely sentimental. But I can tell you that if I were gifted a watch in these circumstances, the sentimental value would be most significant. Thanks for sharing this story here.

 

[Claven2]

For what it's worth. That watch would greatly benefit from a service and sympathetic dial refinish to the original style and look.

Can't wait to hear what's under the hood.

 

[Engee]

JwRosenthal

My father was a surgeon, he constantly brought home lavish gift baskets and fancy gifts that his patients would send him (this was 40 years ago). We always hoped for the chocolate filled baskets and not the cheese and crackers ones.

I think there's an important difference between patient / physician and client / therapist. With ongoing therapy the act of gift giving by a vulnerable client might have an impact on the ongoing relationship where there already exists a power imbalance. In the case of physicians that is much less likely. The patient is more likely to feel empowered and the gift is a freely given without it changing the nature of the relationship.

Surgeons, in particular, often have "one -off" relationships with patients, and the gift is given at the end of the work. I think the situation described in the OP is when the gift was given while the relationship was ongoing.

 

[OneTwo]

Wonderful story and gift from your patient @TheGreekPhysique ! It reminds me of the fascinating conversations I would have with my late grandmother(born in 1917) and her younger brother(born in 1921) regarding living through the depression and the war. 100% agree that just listening to them in their later years, hearing the story they wanted to tell, made all the difference and they were so happy to tell the story. Funny enough it was this great uncle of mine who I inherited his CK2414 circa 1946 that started my fascination with vintage watches. The watch will always be a treasured heirloom and remind me of their great stories.

 

[Radyson]

👍👍👍
What a lovely story and good on you!
Thanks for share it with us!
I also think that it’s worthy of some form of resurrection.
Good luck!