NURSING
I knew I wanted to be a nurse when I was a child. I wanted to be like the nurses who took care of me. God evidently had other plans as I was only able to work for a couple of years.
I worked in the hospital after nursing school for a year and figured out really fast that part of nursing was NOT for me. I didn't like the constant change of patients.
I went into geriatric nursing. I loved working with the elderly.
A lot of people would ask me how I could work at a nursing home. Some said it was grim and disgusting.
Yea, I know nursing homes get a bad reputation. But not all are grim and disgusting.
A lot of people think it is a place for them to just die. Maybe it is the last place where they live but it doesn't mean they are going to die any faster.
Most times people put their loved ones in a nursing home because they can't take care of them. There is no where else for them to go.
What tore my heart was when family members placed their loved ones in the nursing home and forgot about them. It broke my heart on holidays when there were a few that had no where to go. No one called. No one visited.
People tend to forget the people in the nursing homes are HUMAN.
I enjoyed listening to their stories and their wisdom.
The residents of the nursing home was unforgettable. They all had their own personalities.
Not everything was peaches and cream. There were some who were grumpy or difficult to deal with. We had to deal with state regulations and the people who managed the nursing home. The reason I kept going back was the residents.
Mrs Catina was a resident. She was a very small lady who walked hunched back. Confused and senile, but the cutest little thing. One of my coworkers said I was going to be like her when I grew old. She would come to the desk and asked where she was at. We had to bring her back to her room too many times to count.
An African-American soft-spoken gentleman would shuffle slowly. He was one of my favorites. He would smile at us with his gummy smile. He never married and I think his uncle took care of what he needed. But he was one of those who were alone on holidays mostly. He was always bumming cigarettes.
The smokers shared their cigarettes and lighter when the others would run out.
There was Vivian who would run away. Many times motorists would bring her back when they saw her walking the highway a few blocks away. She was something else! She was senile as well and the words that would come out of her mouth like a sailor. She had us laughing every day. It was sorta sad to see her personality change so drastically.
Oh my! There are so many more I can write about. Hopefully, you can understand why I loved these people.
Nursing was rewarding and I know I made a difference in at least one of their lives. Many have made a difference in my life!
I loved visiting with my grandparents - who were never in a home, thankfully they could always live on their own. But so many people overlook the elderly for some reason. I've always meshed better with people older than me, so I've loved listening to older people's stories.
ReplyDelete- Allison
www.allisonwrites.com
What people don't realize is that the elderly are wise. None of my grandparents were ever in a home either. It's sad they are forgotten.
DeleteI want to cry after reading this. I have always felt guilty after I had to put my Dad into a nursing home. He wasn't bedridden but he was hard to take care of as far as diabetes, blood pressure, falling down. It broke my heart to see some of those poor people who were residents there. You are a saint among us Lisa! I always thought the nurses were so under appreciated. Bless your heart!
ReplyDeleteBarb, I don't know about being a Saint but you were right we were unappreciated by the upper management. You don't have to feel guilty because you visited him. Some things you just can't do and thankfully, there are places to help. I know it is the hardest thing a family member can do. HUGS!
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