an update

life can be stressful and busy, work can be stressful and busy, relationships can be stressful and busy... and thus i have found it hard to keep this blog updated. here is my latest:

i am good at my job and i love my job. although i have come to discover handfuls of things i never imagined i would be dealing with in this profession (i will spare you the details), but because i love my job so much i can deal with it.

why do i love it? well, each patient is different of course, and you will have your favorites, but for the majority of them, i really really care for them. it is so hard to see people so dependent on others for just the daily things.

pt #1- a 90 y/o man that before he came to the hospital he was independent in all his daily care tasks (dressing, showering, toileting, etc) and walked around with a cane. he only received assistance with his medication management. and then he got sick. now he is only oriented to self and cannot carry a coherent conversation. he is completely dependent for all self care tasks with limited assistance and limited comprehension to task. he has to have someone feed him and clean him. he is so sweet. he is 90 and at that age it is the normal course of action to lose dependence in some areas, but this was such a contrast in such a short period of time. he is not very healthy and has a lot of medical issues, i am not sure how long he will stay with us since he cannot tolerate much therapy and all we have been able to do with him is one to two stands at the parallel bars. my heart just goes out to him!!

pt #2- an older lady who was deconditioned from illness and thus her ability to get up and walk and take care of her daily self care tasks suffered also. when she was presented to us she was unable to get out of bed on her own (being obese also with arthritis made it challenging). we had to use a hoyer lift to get her out of bed. we first started with brief stands at the parallel bars and then progressed to weight shifting, then to taking just the heels off and then finally small steps. within only a small matter of time she was soon walking with a walker and transferring on her own with close supervision and contact guard at times. WHAT A JOY THIS WAS to me and the P.T. to see such improvement. it brings joy to my heart! and to join in the words of the P.T. : "this is why i love my job!"

pt#3- this lady drives me crazy. she is french, hard of hearing and blind. she is completely unable to comprehend the purpose of occupational therapy which has been explained on numerous occasions to her by me. she is at a higher level than my previously mentioned patients and able to ambulate with a walker pretty well. i had her make toast with jelly and pb. "I NEVER KNEW MAKING TOAST WAS THERAPY!" (said with a thick french accent). i tried to explain that i want to see how well she navigates in and around the kitchen with her walker so that i can make suggestions and offer tips for safety and i can see how well she is doing so that we can get her home. but she did not get it. let's just say i am glad she is being discharged on monday. hahaha. that just goes to show that it isn't all peachy keen.