Yet, another alarm..

This alarm was a fire alarm we had tonight. Quickly, all the doors were closed. I found out that the CareGiver, not me this time, had burned the popcorn and caused the alarms to go off on the second floor. After the alarm was turned off and everyone was back to normal, I went into my, the 2nd floor, bathroom and ran into the two very large trash containers titled, Soiled Linen and Trash Only. These had to be cleared out of the hallway in case of fire. In the photo, you can see the commode way in the background. Ha!

Alarms, bells, and more alarms...,

There are many alarms that go off in a nursing home.
For example, there is the alarm on the machine that drips and re-hydrates a Resident; the alarm on the bed that a Resident uses to call a Tech to the room; the beeps that go off any time someone calls for the elevator with special numbers so that the Residents don't escape; the alarm on the wheel chair seat that goes off when a person steps up out of it; the alarm under the sheets in the event a Resident thinks they can walk.
The meanest loudest is the alarm with a pin in it that is permanently placed on the back of the wheelchair that a Tech clips to the back of the Resident's clothing. This is to notify any one that the Resident is trying to get out of the wheelchair. In this case the pin pulls out and a very loud, piercing shrill alarm goes off.

I know this alarm with the pin personally.
I had tried to get someone to help me take My Lady back to bed, but no one was around. So, knowing that I have upper body strength I thought I could easily take My Lady out of her chair and put her in her bed. No problem--this would be a no-brainer. I had seen the Tech do it many times.
Well, I had forgotten to take the clip off her blouse, so when the pin came out of the alarm and it shrilled, the Nurse and the Tech ran into the room where they found My Lady and I together, having fallen, across the bed. Cozy!
I was chagrined because I thought this Lady would just stand up and I would help her into the bed. Wrong. No chance. She was 140 pounds of dead weight. I think she even tried to lift her feet. I promised myself NEVER to try that again. So much for good intentions; but it did get the help we needed down to our room lickity split! Ha!

My Addiction...

I am always "on call" and was asked to come to the Nursing home. The Daytime CareGiver's husband had had a heart attack and was in route,45 miles away, by ambulance to the Hospital. She needed to meet him there. The food tray had arrived and it was time for My Lady to be fed. Wow! I went quickly.

When I arrived, My Lady had been served a plethora of warm, good-smelling food. She was not hungry due to eating a large breakfast; so she accepted the lukewarm Strawberry Ensure in the can with a straw. I placed her wrapped up pimento sandwich and cut pears in the Resident refrigerator in case she would be hungry later as I had seen the Daytime CareGiver do.

What to do with the large tray full of food? As you can see in the photo, she had Strawberry Ensure, green beans, noodles, beef, a bread roll, ice cream, a nutty apple cobbler, crackers, margarine, dry chocolate Ensure to add to the milk, and a pimento sandwich. Now, I have made it a habit not to eat ANYTHING that is on the tray. I do not trust what they put in the food since the food is being ordered by a doctor especially for her. I could break out with hair on my gums...

However, when hunger overtook me, you see what I chose to taste out of all this food... Can you see my addition??? ha! It was good; but it was not to be the beginning of a bad habit for me. I left it on the tray. My Kid later called and brought me dinner. I love My Kid! "There is always a way to escape."

I thought I'd try some new dog food...right?

Well, I thought I'd give Lexi some new dog food. (Photo on the right has the food the way it comes in the bag.) Something NEW! is Purina's Chef Michael that has real pieces of chicken, with processed peas and carrots. Now, may I say that Lexi is a dog that eats everything that hits the floor. It takes 5 seconds and she's on it. She will eat a piece of orange or cauliflower, or any food that I offer to the parrot except seed.
Well, duh, the dog knows how to separate out the peas and carrots on the carpet (see photo) and leave some in the bowl (see photo at top).
So much for that ingenious idea! Back to the drawing board...

Health Center Life and Culture

Last week I walked into the Health Center to sit with My Lady at 7pm. When I got off the elevator on the second floor there were no residents in the four hallways that run into the circular nurses station in the center. It was "dead" quiet. I found out that a resident had expired at 6pm and her family, who had been called in, was in a glassed-in room talking to the Administrators and signing papers. A nurse had called an ambulance, using 911, to come take the body.
Out of respect, the Techs had quickly moved all the residents, who were usually in the four hallways, into the TV room. Wow! This is a different world I am in.
Last week I heard the Techs say something like, "205 911'd."It meant that the person in room 205 had expired and 911 had been notified to take them away the body during the time I was gone. Whew! Life and death are dealt so casually every day in this place.

A "No Noun" Memory

I just walked by the circular Nurses Station which is in the middle of four halls that intersect on the second floor of this Health Center this morning. There were two nurses, with their backs turned to each other, writing stuff and talking; but without using any nouns. They knew what they were talking about; but to me who walked by and do not know them that well, it sounded like gibberish! No nouns! What were they talking about?
This reminded me of a time about 40 years ago when my Mom and my older sister-in-law would do the same when they were together talking. They knew each other so well that they would not use any nouns. I sure didn't want to be around. I would say, "Mom, what are you talking about?" She would sheepishly smile and apologize. She probably saw me as someone who was slowing down the conversation. Ha! That memory returned tonight!

How Can I Say "No!" to These Eyes?

This is LEXI, my Kid's Silky Terrier that resides with me...sleeps with me...eats with me...is all over me. I love the attention!
YOU that have Kids know, that there are times, after your Kids move out, that you really miss them. When that happens, what I can do is get something that belongs to my daughter--maybe a rock she has given me or a photo of the two of us together and hold it and think of her.
The problem is, what I usually chose is not a small artifact or photo that I can put in my purse. I go for her dog, Lexi. Clearly know that the dog has not taken my Kid's place. That could never happen; but Lexi knows how to give me instantaneous attention that just fills the coffers of my soul!
However, when Lexi opens the cabinet door under the sink with her long nose, shreds my important papers that are on the floor, or when she hauls off with my underwear that has been in a hamper in a closed closet in the bathroom, I still give her a solid "No!" This makes her come closer to me, cuddle right up to me and show me those big browns that are in the picture above. She knows how to work the house.
You know, when there is a problem, I love on Lexi more, tell her I forgive her (for being a dog!) and throw her a cat...[sic]...not really. Actually, I give her a kinda treat to gnaw on.
Isn't this what I did with my Kid? Say "No", pick the Kid up, cuddle her and talk about bad behavior, forgive her, and hug her again...and NOT reward her with food!
Yep, the dog reminds me of my Kid!

Bread Is Not the Answer

I had just come out of a Bible Study where I decided to get back at eating healthy and quit eating BREAD, my worst vice. I went to the grocery store and bought some healthy food. When I came out, I found this 18 wheeler that said, "Bread Is the Answer." Come on! Why is it when you have made a decision to quit something, that thing is everywhere in your face.

I pulled out my phone and decided to photograph this monstrous advertising of BREAD! The timely irony of this truck and my decision! When the driver of the truck saw me photographing his truck, he asked me what I was doing. Busted! ...so I told him. I said that I came out of the generation where Coke said they were the answer, then in the 70's the Jesus Movement outwardly proclaimed that Jesus was the Answer! The truck driver broke into my conversation and said, "Yes, Jesus Is the Answer." Wow! That was all the answer I needed to hear. I photographed him and said I would send him a photo the next day, which I did. Whew! God promises in Scripture that every time we are tempted, He always makes a way to escape. I needed this drivers's confession! ...and I escaped.

"Go Ahead, Pay the Price"

Sometimes I just have to pay the price...

Today is Thursday. I went into work today as CareGiver to my Nursing Home; but only from 6am to 7am. All I had to do was sit at a table for an hour to make sure "My Lady" would not fall out of her wheel chair. She has 24/7 coverage. She slept in her chair for the hour. How hard is that?
Now, you ask, is it worth getting up at 5am, brushing my teeth, showering, getting dressed, and driving over in 20-degree very cold weather to do this?
My answer is,"You bet!" Doing this gives me the prior Wednesday evening free to be with my "Bible toting" friends at Wednesday night Bible study!!!!

However, this morning at work, in the quiet of the early morning TV room, I hear out loud, "Lady in the black sweater...(it was brown)..please close the drapes tonight (it was still dark outside) because I see the children's eyes looking at me." I turned around... "What? you talkin' to me?"
"Mrs. T," I said, as I walked to my table, "it is 6:45 in the morning and we are on the second floor." "Lady, the drapes are still open..."was her response. So, as the dutiful wonderful person that I am, I closed the drapes almost completely. "Lady" as I was walking back to my table, "they are still open a little..." Breaking into her comment, a Tech said to Mrs T. "The drapes are broken, they can not close any more." "Okay." Mrs. T was happy with that. Live and learn!
And, when she finally went to sleep, 3 minutes later, I went, opened the drapes, pulled up the blinds and let the sun in. It was morning.... and left, it was 7am.

...About Writing This Blog...

This blog will be my thoughts. No Names for privacy; since FaceBook is so public. My thoughts may be dark, light, strange, in Spanish, Spirited, humorous, profound?..right! You wish...

You know any LIE has some truth in it; so take any thing I say lightly when you read it. I have been asked to write for years. This is for those who know me who know that I like to have fun in ALL I do. Best wishes. Comment as you wish. I have thick skin. Matter of fact, I have lots of skin...ja!

I have to go now because My Lady just woke up out of her slumber in her chair to tell me her breasts itch. What to do, what to do???

I Won't Do That Again

Oh my! I came in early at 5pm to stay the night at this very expensive Nursing Home where I sit a lady I call "My Lady." These women are prima dona's at this facility; are in the beginning stages of dementia and do things they would have never been caught doing in their earlier life. Their hair is fixed weekly, have faithful visitors; but most can not carry on a conversation or know whether or not they have eaten recently. I am not being critical, I am just seeing what I have never seen before. This is all new!

Today, because I usually come in after dinner at 7pm, I brought in something to eat for dinner. I fed My Lady at 5:30pm when her warm food tray showed up in the TV room where we were. After she ate, she sat in her wheel chair and went to sleep. I thought that this would be a good time for me to eat my dinner. She was asleep, it was 6:15pm and I was hungry. I began to eat. At that time, My Lady started picking her nose and digging and flicking away from me. Oh my! I woke her up and gave her a tissue to use. Yeah, Right! I thought I would gag! I won't do this again!

So, to calm my gag reflex, I looked beyond her at the next table where I saw a Technical Assistant (a helper which I call "Tech") leave two patients at a table. One started to cough. The Tech said,"Good sound. We know she's alive (?)" as the Tech walked out the door to dispose of the used food tray. I thought that was strange; but not as strange as watching the lady at the table who leaned over and raised the coughing lady's arm to help her stop coughing. When the Tech returned, the patient who was helpful said, "I was scared that she was going to..." as she put her tongue out the side of her mouth and threw her head to the side like someone dead. The Tech and I both broke out laughing. ha. Who knew?

By the way, when the male nurse came by to give My Lady her pill for the evening, she woke up out of a slumber and shook his hand...ha!..if he only knew. Where are my disposable wipes????

Musical Leaf

My Texas friend sent me this great video called "Musical Leaf" which inspired the photo you see here.

Don Piano Cat

I love my kid.
She showed me this funny video called "Don Piano Cat."

Eating Imaginary Friend Chicken

My job is to stay awake all night long to care for my lady at a nursing home. The patients are in extensive nursing care and are at the first stages of dementia.

Yesterday, I went to work from 3pm to 7am this morning. At 3 AM this morning, my lady woke up asking me in the clearest voice, "Are you awake?" "Yes." I said. "Are you awake?"

"I lost the metallic things," said my lady, as she pointed at a hole in her bed rails. I knew she was in her own world. When I walked over to her medical bed, she showed me an empty space between rails. "I put them right here," she said, "and they're lost. I want to go look for them."

I told her we'd look for them in the morning, but that answer didn't suffice. I didn't know what to do, so I talked to a tech in the hallway. Tech Curley told me how last night, Bill called her into his room to eat some fried chicken with him. She asked where it was, and he said, "Have some. It's on the end of the bed." Suprised, she asked, "Which piece should I get?" He said, "The leg right there." She went to where he was pointing, picked up the imaginary chicken leg, sat on the edge of the bed and "ate" as they chatted about how good the chicken leg was.

Curley said, when she finished, she put the imaginary dish away, and tucked him back under the covers to get some sleep. Ironically, 2:30am is lunch time for the night staff, and Curley left wanting a chicken leg.

Another day, another chicken leg.