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Thursday, October 21, 2010

Oops!




“I don’t know how you can handle working in a nursing home,” my friend, Daisy, commented, as we shared conversation over a cup of coffee.
“Life in the nursing home isn’t what everyone believes, a place full of just problems and sadness.  Sure we have our share of that.  But it’s also a place where friends and family share memories and vivid experiences.” 
“But don’t you go home loaded down with your resident’s problems?”  Daisy asked, doubtfully.
“Not really,” I replied.  “Sometimes I do get stressed, but for the most part, I feel I can handle the challenges.  You don’t know of all the fun times we have at the nursing home.  It’s a place for conversations, reading, gossip, romance and glamour.  Life there is rich, dynamic and synergistic.”
“Ha! Then why is it called a ‘rest home’ if there’s no rest after all?”
“They’re no longer called ‘rest homes.’ Nursing homes are no longer institutions where people go to die.  They are ‘homes’ where people can continue their lives with the help they need.  And for those that are at the end of life, it’s a place where they can die in comfort with dignity.”
“Wow, so things have changed a lot.”
“I noticed huge changes in the last five years.  Changes in concepts, focus, care, and regulations.  It’s quite interesting.”
“Well, since you find so much fun at the nursing home, do you have any funny story you can tell me?”  Daisy asked, grinning. 
“Oh Lord, I have many humorous stories.  One that makes me laugh every time I recall it, had to do with a resident’s daughter.”
I told Daisy a story that actually became one of my most embarrassing moments at the nursing home.  It was about Cheryl.  Her mother had recently been admitted to the facility.  Since the moment I met Cheryl, I noticed she spoke with a slight foreign accent. 
Her mother was born in Missouri, and she indicated that had lived in that state all her life. I wondered why her daughter had an accent.  Had Cheryl lived outside of the USA? She had a husband, but he was also a Missourian. 
I was so curious.
We had our first care plan meeting.  I would get distracted every time Cheryl spoke because of her slight accent.  The other members of the team didn’t seem to notice it, and no one mentioned anything after the meeting. 
The times I talked to her, I continued to wonder about her accent.  A month later, we had another meeting.  By then, I had established a good relationship her.  After the meeting, I approached Cheryl in the hall, making sure no one was around. 
My curiosity couldn’t wait any longer.  

“Cheryl, I want to ask you a personal question. You have a slight accent.  Have you lived overseas?”
Cheryl stared at me. Then she started laughing out loud. 
I was puzzled.
“No, it’s not an accent,” she said, still laughing. 
 “It’s speech impediment” 

25 comments:

MTJ said...

Hi Doris,

Thanks for sharing another story that made me smile. I remember you in my prayers, thanking God for using you to encourage and inspire others.

Blessings and peace.

MTJ

NENSA MOON said...

Hi Doris,

Sounds you're really enjoying your work.
I love to hear there're also lots of fun there in nursing home.

Thanks for sharing another story of your nursing home..
This time I can smile while reading this post... hehe..

Wish you the best,
nensa

Just Be Real said...

Wonderful post and uplifting. Thank you for yet another delightful inspiring post Doris. Blessings.

Unknown said...

I loved your post.

Joanna St. James said...

Ha ha how did you recover from that one?
I learn something new from you every time.

Amrita said...

Oooohhh so sweet. Such an endearing story.
You made my day.

Karin said...

You do tell lovely stories about life in what we in Canada now call long-term care centres rather than nursing homes. Cute story! Wish I would have written more of them down right after they happened! We've even got a couple of R-rated ones, lol, but we keep those just within our little group of friends who work there!

Anonymous said...

Speaking of oops...my aunt is a substitute teacher. She asked a boy in her class for his name. She's heard all sorts of crazy names, so she took it at face value and called him "Harrithon." The class cracked up--of course, the kid's name was "Harrison," and he had a lisp.

Mariette VandenMunckhof-Vedder said...

Dearest Doris,

Another great story to share indeed. Having an accent was probably the best compliment given to this lady! It depends on how we strain our ears and 'what' we actually do hear. But it was not an embarrassing moment but rather a moment of pausing and realizing things different...

Have a great weekend and sunny greetings from Georgia,

MariettesBacktoBasics

Anonymous said...

Great story. I loved the way that you described the nursing home. It is because of people like you and what you give and all you see in the people there that things have changed. You value the residents and are concerned and interested in their lives, that is truly a gift you give them. Thanks for sharing.
Andie

Libby said...

thanks for this one, too, doris!!

Patrinas Pencil said...

I've worked in what used to be called nursing homes (they call them LTC in the city :) - Long Term Care) - then independent care and then assisted living. I have quite a collection of stories too. This is a good one :)

Patrina <")>><

Anonymous said...

Hi Doris,

I think you're an Angel! My aunt recently passed away but her life was enriched by the people who she met and those that cared for her in her nursing home. Unfortunately her husband had passed away long ago and she had no children. The nursing home was a godsend.

So wonderful to meet you today! I look forward to your stories!

Crown of Beauty said...

I have great admiration for those who try to make this world a little better...hands on.

And now, you still do that to those who visit your blog by sharing your stories.

Yes, you do that... and I do appreciate the time you take to put your stories on line.

Bless your heart, Doris. This one really made me laugh.

Love
Lidj

Catherine said...

Lovely post and I like the blog too - plenty of things I can relate to as I work as a community-based nurse and have a lot of dealing with assessing people for long-stay care or supported home care packages. It's always a hard choice for families and there are always the bad situations where families offload someone to a home but there are difficulties in this time when everyone has to be at work and there's no-one home to care for someone. You seem to maintain a balance in work-life. hope you visit/follow my blog! catherine

Ginger~~Enchanting Cottage said...

What a cute~~story.Thank-you for stopping by my blog.
Ginger

Anonymous said...

Awh bless, that's so sweet! Thanks for following me too :O)

Anonymous said...

Awh bless, that's so sweet! Thanks for following me too :O)

Michele said...

i used to volunteer in a nursing home. i met alot of beautiful people there who shared their life stories with me. i enjoyed the experience immensley!

cyclopseven said...

Be it a Nursing home, a rehabilitation or a habilitation center, one main focus in these places is the regeneration of human values and hope. There are many people out there who needs some gentleness in words, embrace and care. The smile that one gives away, the utterances of sweet nothing and soft pats on the shoulders means a lot for them. Stress is inevitable, but if we know how to deal with it, stress can be overcome without much difficulty.

This is a good blog. It teaches in small quotient about a lot of things on the humane part of humanity.

cyclopseven said...
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Kittie Howard said...

Thank you for stopping by my blog. It's nice to meet you *waves*. And thank you for sharing warm stories about warm people living in an environment that is their home. As a society we tend to forget that each age has its challenges and its blessings. You are one of those many blessings.

Claus said...

What a story! It was probably, to her eyes, the best mistake ever! :o)
thanks for sharing.

MTeacress said...

I bet that was refreshing. I doubt anyone has ever mistaken her speech impediment as an accent. Just for fun, if I were her, I'd make up a place to go with my 'accent'. ;)

Haddock said...

some people are dedicated and that makes the difference.