Well I haven't been around for a couple of days...not much to post about....if truth be known I got engrossed in a book and well couldn't put it down....finished and here I am. It was actually an easy read one of Jonathan Kellerman novels....not one of his better ones I thought...but enjoyable all the same.
So what have I been up to. Well had the in laws for dinner the other night so was busy cooking and baking up a storm on Sunday night. After dinner we decided to play some cards....you folks who live out east will be familiar with this game....Euker....strange game....I still haven't grasped the concept about picking up the card and going alone as they call it.....we played best out of three... the men won...boo hoo....but it was fun all the same.
Yesterday I went and met up with the Volunteer coordinator at the nursing home in town. I have volunteered as a Hospice worker and assisting in vigils when someone is palliative and near life's end...but those vigils thank goodness don't happen that often...so when I met with the Vigil coordinator I asked her if there was something else I could do, she connected me with the volunteer coordinator. So I went and met her yesterday. I told her what I wanted to do...she asked me if I would be interested in doing home visits.....of course I said....you should have seen the smile on her face. They have a client out in the community that they really need a volunteer for but folks in town don't want to make the drive....guess what,turns out this person lives only minutes from me. So I spoke with the community person today and well I am meeting her and the client tomorrow. Anyhow, today I went in and met with the Activity liaison person at the nursing home. There is this older gentlemen in the home who recently became a resident. He is has dementia but is very high functioning, because he lived alone(wife in hospital and family out of town)he was becoming a safety risk and his thing was to be on the phone all the time....calling the hospital about 100 times a day about his wife...calling his daughter just as many times and then apparently he was also calling the police. Long and short of it he now is on a Alzheimer's unit and I was asked if I wouldn't mind visiting him and taking him out for walks. So, today being a beautiful day I thought about him and I thought I would go and see if I could take him out for a walk. So I went and met with the activity person, we went over his care and concerns.
Apparently this man at the spry age of 79, still rides his bike, walks all the time, loves to swim, and apparently he use to be a life guard amongst other things. After discussing his care I went to visit him. He was happy and angry at the same time. He still has the where with all to know that he is in a place he doesn't want to be. He feels he is being kept there against his will, that his daughter is taking his money...yes he is an angry man...but can also be redirect easily. So that was my approach redirect his thought process and encourage him to go for a walk.
Well it didn't take much coaxing at all...the mention of a walk and he had his coat on and out we went. We had a great walk....not knowing how he would function I sort of paced things...listened to his breathing as they told me last time he went out he got short of breath....the only shortness of breath I noticed was from him talking a mile a minute. Turns out he worked for the railway for 35 years...and the stories he could tell. In my little town there is a train station and museum...so without even planning it we ended up at the train museum...oh he was so delighted....he showed me stuff about the train...he really enjoyed it. After that we gradually made our way back to the nursing home. As we neared the home he said, there it is, there's the prison. How sad I thought. We got back to his room, and he shared with me some of his photos, he has a lovely big and bright room overlooking the garden. We talked about gardening and birds, said he liked gardening but said he wasn't going to do their work for them....I laughed....I said well maybe when the time comes you and I could go out there and pick a part of the garden
and make it your own and we could plant whatever you wanted. That made him smile.
The activity person told me that they delivered his bike today....he asked me if I cycled I said I love to cycle....so he said it's a date...we have to go for a ride.....so looks like I have my work cut of for me with this gentleman. Actually, I am really looking forward to it...I think it will do us both a bit of good. I 'll keep you posted.
So what have I been up to. Well had the in laws for dinner the other night so was busy cooking and baking up a storm on Sunday night. After dinner we decided to play some cards....you folks who live out east will be familiar with this game....Euker....strange game....I still haven't grasped the concept about picking up the card and going alone as they call it.....we played best out of three... the men won...boo hoo....but it was fun all the same.
Yesterday I went and met up with the Volunteer coordinator at the nursing home in town. I have volunteered as a Hospice worker and assisting in vigils when someone is palliative and near life's end...but those vigils thank goodness don't happen that often...so when I met with the Vigil coordinator I asked her if there was something else I could do, she connected me with the volunteer coordinator. So I went and met her yesterday. I told her what I wanted to do...she asked me if I would be interested in doing home visits.....of course I said....you should have seen the smile on her face. They have a client out in the community that they really need a volunteer for but folks in town don't want to make the drive....guess what,turns out this person lives only minutes from me. So I spoke with the community person today and well I am meeting her and the client tomorrow. Anyhow, today I went in and met with the Activity liaison person at the nursing home. There is this older gentlemen in the home who recently became a resident. He is has dementia but is very high functioning, because he lived alone(wife in hospital and family out of town)he was becoming a safety risk and his thing was to be on the phone all the time....calling the hospital about 100 times a day about his wife...calling his daughter just as many times and then apparently he was also calling the police. Long and short of it he now is on a Alzheimer's unit and I was asked if I wouldn't mind visiting him and taking him out for walks. So, today being a beautiful day I thought about him and I thought I would go and see if I could take him out for a walk. So I went and met with the activity person, we went over his care and concerns.
Apparently this man at the spry age of 79, still rides his bike, walks all the time, loves to swim, and apparently he use to be a life guard amongst other things. After discussing his care I went to visit him. He was happy and angry at the same time. He still has the where with all to know that he is in a place he doesn't want to be. He feels he is being kept there against his will, that his daughter is taking his money...yes he is an angry man...but can also be redirect easily. So that was my approach redirect his thought process and encourage him to go for a walk.
Well it didn't take much coaxing at all...the mention of a walk and he had his coat on and out we went. We had a great walk....not knowing how he would function I sort of paced things...listened to his breathing as they told me last time he went out he got short of breath....the only shortness of breath I noticed was from him talking a mile a minute. Turns out he worked for the railway for 35 years...and the stories he could tell. In my little town there is a train station and museum...so without even planning it we ended up at the train museum...oh he was so delighted....he showed me stuff about the train...he really enjoyed it. After that we gradually made our way back to the nursing home. As we neared the home he said, there it is, there's the prison. How sad I thought. We got back to his room, and he shared with me some of his photos, he has a lovely big and bright room overlooking the garden. We talked about gardening and birds, said he liked gardening but said he wasn't going to do their work for them....I laughed....I said well maybe when the time comes you and I could go out there and pick a part of the garden
and make it your own and we could plant whatever you wanted. That made him smile.The activity person told me that they delivered his bike today....he asked me if I cycled I said I love to cycle....so he said it's a date...we have to go for a ride.....so looks like I have my work cut of for me with this gentleman. Actually, I am really looking forward to it...I think it will do us both a bit of good. I 'll keep you posted.
