It was another volunteer day for me this afternoon. I enjoy going to the nursing home every time. At first it was new, I didn't know any of the residents, and I was nervous about what to do. Now, I have developed a few relationships with a few residents and I look forward to visiting them every time I go, especially this lady, let's just call her D.
D has muscular sclerosis. She is bed ridden and also has an issue with her throat where she cannot swallow anything, food and drink included. She hasn't had a sip of water or ounce of food in over a year. Can you imagine not being able to eat or drink at all? Possibly for the rest of your life? Imagine all the cravings she has and scents from the kitchen she smells, but she can't have any of it. The first time I met her I know we'd instantly get along. D is very cognitive even though her speech isn't clear. She has a misalignment with her jaw so her words are hard to understand. She has a firecracker personality though. She used to be a smokin hot mama when she was younger. She has a picture in her room of her in her thirties. She bounced from job to job until she started her own limo company, to where she made some pretty good money.
Then one morning she had difficulty moving her legs. Before long she was bound to a wheel chair just in her late thirties. She's been in one all her life. It got so bad to where she is now bed ridden. She has two kids that rarely speak to her let alone visit her. D is a normal woman trapped in a lifeless body. She doesn't have control in her hands so she cannot even scratch her nose if she wanted to. Her personality hasn't changed though. I could tell she was quite a strong independent woman in her younger years because she still is now.
She cracks jokes, she talks about her pasttimes in her younger years, she asks about me and my family. She's so appreciative that I even give her the time of day unlike half those nurses and assistants at that place. I have seen too many shady things happen there already that I am so dissapointed to even talk about. Let's just say people that work there aren't there for the right reasons. You should be there for the patient first and foremost and they are not.
Anyway, besides Diana, there are two other gentlemen that are just the life of the party wheelin in their wheelchairs, best buds. Although, appearances are everything. I see them happy and eating and drinking all the time, but when I actually got to sit down with one of the men, C, I found out that his children pretty much dumped him at that place and went back to where they live in Colorado. I guess the place he's at now is cheaper than anything they could find in CO. So he has been there and hasn't seen his kids in years. He has gone outside in 2 years. Why? Because 1. the people that work there don't "have time for that nonsense" and 2. no one visits him to take him out.
.. Same with D I should mention. A few weeks ago, I took her outside for the first time in a year... she cried at the palm trees swaying in the wind. We just sat there outside of the facility under the shade and listened to the distant swing music in the background that the lobby plays. We felt the wind and we just talked for a while. She enjoyed every last minute of it.
I promised the two gentlemen I'd take them out for a walk next time I'm there and I cannot wait. A few hours to me can make their entire week, if not entire year-- because no one else takes that time to do that.
I am so fulfilled to be making any difference in their lives like I am. This is why I want to become a nurse. I feel like God is working through me to uplift those people's lives even in the smallest amount.
This is what's been going on in our lives:
Me practicing sticking a needle. I actually practiced on a real person the next week by jabbing them in the stomach. I really liked it :)
D has muscular sclerosis. She is bed ridden and also has an issue with her throat where she cannot swallow anything, food and drink included. She hasn't had a sip of water or ounce of food in over a year. Can you imagine not being able to eat or drink at all? Possibly for the rest of your life? Imagine all the cravings she has and scents from the kitchen she smells, but she can't have any of it. The first time I met her I know we'd instantly get along. D is very cognitive even though her speech isn't clear. She has a misalignment with her jaw so her words are hard to understand. She has a firecracker personality though. She used to be a smokin hot mama when she was younger. She has a picture in her room of her in her thirties. She bounced from job to job until she started her own limo company, to where she made some pretty good money.
Then one morning she had difficulty moving her legs. Before long she was bound to a wheel chair just in her late thirties. She's been in one all her life. It got so bad to where she is now bed ridden. She has two kids that rarely speak to her let alone visit her. D is a normal woman trapped in a lifeless body. She doesn't have control in her hands so she cannot even scratch her nose if she wanted to. Her personality hasn't changed though. I could tell she was quite a strong independent woman in her younger years because she still is now.
She cracks jokes, she talks about her pasttimes in her younger years, she asks about me and my family. She's so appreciative that I even give her the time of day unlike half those nurses and assistants at that place. I have seen too many shady things happen there already that I am so dissapointed to even talk about. Let's just say people that work there aren't there for the right reasons. You should be there for the patient first and foremost and they are not.
Anyway, besides Diana, there are two other gentlemen that are just the life of the party wheelin in their wheelchairs, best buds. Although, appearances are everything. I see them happy and eating and drinking all the time, but when I actually got to sit down with one of the men, C, I found out that his children pretty much dumped him at that place and went back to where they live in Colorado. I guess the place he's at now is cheaper than anything they could find in CO. So he has been there and hasn't seen his kids in years. He has gone outside in 2 years. Why? Because 1. the people that work there don't "have time for that nonsense" and 2. no one visits him to take him out.
.. Same with D I should mention. A few weeks ago, I took her outside for the first time in a year... she cried at the palm trees swaying in the wind. We just sat there outside of the facility under the shade and listened to the distant swing music in the background that the lobby plays. We felt the wind and we just talked for a while. She enjoyed every last minute of it.
I promised the two gentlemen I'd take them out for a walk next time I'm there and I cannot wait. A few hours to me can make their entire week, if not entire year-- because no one else takes that time to do that.
I am so fulfilled to be making any difference in their lives like I am. This is why I want to become a nurse. I feel like God is working through me to uplift those people's lives even in the smallest amount.
This is what's been going on in our lives:
Me practicing sticking a needle. I actually practiced on a real person the next week by jabbing them in the stomach. I really liked it :)
Leila and Jonah playing dress up as a nurse and doctor
Jason got me the most beautiful and fragrant flowers for my birthday in May.
Us just hanging out, wishing Jason was in the picture
Jason's room in Afghanistan
Jason driving downrange
A felt board I put together for the babies with lots of shapes
1 comment:
we use to go to a nursing home our old church would go a for a month twice a year. it's crazy that 20 people singing hymns would make their day! they get left behind and forgotten and it stinks! i should get back into that.... i really enjoyed it.
thanks for the reminder!
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