Numerous online references from respectable site state 60-100bpm is considered a "normal" pulse range. Plus, there could have been any number of factors that could have given her a pulse in the high range of normal. The term resting pulse is just that, resting. Walking into your gym from a parked car, perhaps amped up a little and nervous could raise the average person's heart rate. Sitting on the sofa and watching TV for the evening to me is a resting pulse.
I could possibly ask my own doctor about the matter but wouldn't they just disregard me because its not concerning my own health? I'm just so worried about the situation...people keep telling me not to worry about it but my instinct tells me that I have made a terrible mistake.
If you know your doctor well, it should be possible to have a brief conversation with him/her about the ethics of the situation and what to do. It might take a tad of explanation to the office staff, but if you describe the situation to them as well as you have here--about your sense of responsibility--I think it should be possible to get through to them.
Im not very familiar with my doctor so I think I may pay to ask a doctor on this site. But even then im not sure what conclusion they would come to....as you said contacting them is breach of confidentiality so I cant think of a solution to the problem. A doctor will either tell me that its fine or that I should have told her at the time. That's what I feel is the depressing thing about the situation, I feel helpless. I don't want to feel responsible for somebody's death but it looks like there is no way I can intervene without crossing boundaries that I shouldn't.
Thank you for your advise though, your the only person who has seen it fro my point of view.
I've been mulling this over, based on what I've seen in decades of going to the gym, and here is a thought that might reduce your worries a bit:
I simply do not know even one 60 year old woman who does *not* have a personal physician. As people get older, they understand the need for health insurance and they see doctors more often for lots of things--women more frequently than men. Weight, BP, and pulse get checked right after you go through the door.
The odds are that this lady in fact has a doctor who is quite familiar with both her BP and her heart rate. I am pretty sure you can relax a little.
It is common for people to suffer from the "white coat" syndrome whenever they go into a doctor's office - they have temporary high blood pressure and heart rate. These are people who need ot check on their own when they are truly at reat.
As Tom said, 60-100, even at full rest, is "normal", does not require any corrective measures.
For my part if I had been presented with the numbers, I would have said to the person: "your blood pressure is very good, you heat rate is at the high end of normal". Enough said.
If I was also educated as a personal training I hope I would also have had some general words of advice on how to move from where the client is to where they might need to be - lose weight, etc. I think that too would also say something about how hard of a work out they should start with, how to measure their heart rate,and what range to stay in/under.. stuff a personal training should have a good knowledge of, I don't.
Do you have a physician of your own whom you could phone to ask advice?