I work at the Nursing Home on a Monday and Tuesday evening. As I sat down to feed a resident on Tuesday night, a resident I had fed the night before, I thought to myself, "Here we go again, feeding the same person in the same bed the same vitamised meal. Is this what life's about?" I was thinking from my own perspective, but then I managed to remove myself momentarily from the centre of my own universe to think about it from the resident's perspective. She lies in the same bed, day in, day out, unable to communicate, having people do everything for her, including encouraging her to swallow. Is this what life's about for her? Does she have a different sort of life in her own mind that we are totally unaware of? Hhmmm....the thinking got all a bit too hard. Maybe that's why staff don't do very much thinking here, the job just gets all too hard if you think too much.
Sad.
6 comments:
Hi Campbell,
Sniffle, sniffle. You do wonder what (if anything) is going through the mind of an elderly, bed-ridden person who has no outward, visible life that is discernable by our standards. I can't think of anything worse than being a human vegetable and having to rely on someone else to do everything for me. You can only hope that the resident you were feeding isn’t aware of how wretched her life has become at the end of her sojourn on this planet. And it’s understandable why the staff doesn’t do much thinking…the job gets all too hard; doing the routine chores with a dispassionate attitude is the only way a person could mentally survive. Do you ever wonder what the families of the patients must be going through, seeing their loved ones in such a dismal state?
Would you please hand me a tissue…this is a tear jerker.
We have a local hospital here, and I’ve heard that nurses and doctors there suffer from the same problem. They see so much misery and death; after all, people generally don’t go to the hospital unless something is drastically wrong. The patient and their family have a set of concerns, and the nurses and doctors are trying to solve the problem. They have so many “customers” that they can’t spare the emotions, and have to squelch them. Can’t be good for anybody, and stress level is high all round.
I've been a bit bed ridden too, but by choice. I also see (according to your blog list) it's been 3 months since I've posted anything. Hmmm, better fix that one of these days...
Hi Campbell,
On May 28th, you stated that you were ambivalent about continuing to blog but after rereading all your posts, deemed there was a sense of community in the blogosphere and would stick with it for the time being. I was having similar notions at the same time.
For some unbeknownst reason, we’ve apparently become pariahs from the clique, if the dearth of comments is to be taken into account. I’ve packed up my toys and left the party for the time being. What are your thoughts?
I hope you’re well and staying happily busy. PEACE…
Hey Nash, good to hear from you. I hope the choice of being bedridden has been a beneficial one for you in some way, shape or form. Looking forward to one of these days!
Hi Miss L., I've been away holidaying in the warmer climes of this fine land, so that is the main reason for my absence. Didn't get a chance to blog before I left. I hope being away from the party for a while is doing you good.
Hi Campbell,
Good for you! Australia (Melbourne and vicinity) is in the final stages of winter, so escaping to a warmer climate must have been a treat for you. I hope you managed to get some rest along with the sunshine.
The party’s continuing full force while I lurk on the sidelines observing the goings on…most enlightening!
Welcome back!
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