Leo’s Mane Sew Along

Tuesday 30 November 2010

Glad that weekend is over

Whew, that was a brutal weekend of work. I think I'm getting too old for this, but there are 2 1/2 years to go before I can retire, and even then it will only be with the minimal pension. I spent the weekend working on the Alzheimer's unit. That has got to be the worst disease. It robs the patients, mostly men, since they are vets from the 2nd world war, of their minds. Some of them know who they are, but none of them know where they are, let alone why. It's no surprise then, when some of them fight the idea, literally, of some stranger, to them at least, coming in and undressing them, taking off their diaper, and proceeding to wash their private areas. Reasoning doesn't work, because their ability to reason is gone. All they know is that these strange women are stripping their clothes off. Most of them are cooperative, but there are 3 or 4 who fight, tooth and nail, again, literally. Most of the time, if they are fighting it, we just leave them, and try again later. But, when they are "soiled", there is no choice but to get it done. There are no male staff on this unit, so it is up to us women to look after these men. To say that it is difficult is an understatement. But, the weekend is over, and I don't have to go back to work until Friday, so I've decided that today is my play day. I'm going to work on the mystery quilt, and on my 100 block challenge blocks, and I'll come back later tonight, or tomorrow, and give a progress report.

2 comments:

  1. Hugs to you my friend and Bless you for doing what you do! I hope you find rest and relaxation in your quilting.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Cathy, those patients are so blessed to have you care for them. I work as a research analyst but in a psychiatric facility. I know firsthand about Alzheimer’s disease and what you have to deal with on a daily basis. We have a difficult time finding and retaining good staff to work with the mentally ill. Congratulations to you for working so many years in your chosen field. Your help is appreciated though it may not be shown as frequently as in other fields. Have fun quilting. We quilt to take our minds off other events occurring in our lives. Don’t we have a great craft that has the ability to sometimes take the place of professional counseling? LOL

    ReplyDelete

I love reading all your comments, and am grateful for each one. I try very hard to answer them all, but lately I haven’t quite been able to answer all of them.