Friday, July 07, 2006
can you get a new spine like a new hip?
I have been working my butt off at the Old People Hotel! And my back is a wee bit achey. I intended this to be a part-time job, but I made the possible mistake of telling my manager that I was willing to work whatever shifts were available. So. Last weekend I worked a double on Friday, Saturday PM, and another double on Sunday. I was wiped out. This week I'm not scheduled for any doubles but I am working six days in a row. It's crazy.
The one good thing about working the morning shift is that I get off work at 2:00, and can stop by the gym on my way home and still be home by 4:00. And the best thing about the gym isn't the workout - it's soaking my aching muscles and feet in the hot tub!
The job is harder that my previous job at The Home, I think. I occasionally work on an assisted living floor, which is more like my job at The Home. But a lot of the time I work on the Alzheimer's ward, which I find much more challenging. Not only are the residents impaired mentally, they tend to be much more physically impaired, requiring assistance with transferring from bed to wheelchair, toileting, bathing, and feeding. I have never worked in such a physically demanding environment before - but I can do it. The part I'm finding more challenging is that the Alzheimer's residents are really, you know, demented, and it's hard to make a connection with them. Some of them are so advanced in their dementia that they hit and scream and resist any attempts at caregiving. Some do bizarre things like go into a random room and poo on the floor. I think the reason I'm having a harder time working with these residents is that I want to make a connection with my patients, and I can't help but take it a little bit personally when I get hit or screamed at, even though I know the hitter or screamer is not "all there". It's emotionally exhausting.
On the other hand, the CNAs that I described in my last entry don't seem bothered at all by the dementia patients. They like working on the dementia ward because they are not at the beck & call of assisted living residents - they just do their caregiving routines and call it good. Although, I don't want to make it sounds like they're all robots - yesterday, for example, a CNA who has been there a long time insisted that we call the nurse on duty right away for a resident who "wasn't acting right". She couldn't quite explain was wasn't "right" about the resident, but when the nurse arrived, she assessed the resident and agreed that there was a problem.
I just feel happier working with slightly more cognizant people, I guess. I have been working on a floor where one of my patients is a sweet little old lady on hospice - she is very weak and needs lots of care, but is just so good-humored. She pages me constantly when I'm working, which would drive me nuts from some people, but with her I can't get upset because I think she just wants some company and some affection. Last weekend I cared for her for two days straight and when I put her to bed one night, she announced, "I love you!" and gave me a big kiss. So sweet. It's going to be tough when she dies.
Another resident on that floor has serious short-term memory loss and a chronic pain condition. She is fixated on her pain medication and with the memory loss, can't remember when she last had it. So she pages often to tell me that she's in pain and she wants some medication. I tried rubbing her back where she said it hurt, and it was like a miracle - her breathing slowed, she relaxed, and said she could rest and wait until dinnertime for her medication. I felt like a freaking genius. :) It's not like I did anything major, but it felt really good to make a small positive change for this lady. I felt like a nurse and not a caregiving robot.
The one good thing about working the morning shift is that I get off work at 2:00, and can stop by the gym on my way home and still be home by 4:00. And the best thing about the gym isn't the workout - it's soaking my aching muscles and feet in the hot tub!
The job is harder that my previous job at The Home, I think. I occasionally work on an assisted living floor, which is more like my job at The Home. But a lot of the time I work on the Alzheimer's ward, which I find much more challenging. Not only are the residents impaired mentally, they tend to be much more physically impaired, requiring assistance with transferring from bed to wheelchair, toileting, bathing, and feeding. I have never worked in such a physically demanding environment before - but I can do it. The part I'm finding more challenging is that the Alzheimer's residents are really, you know, demented, and it's hard to make a connection with them. Some of them are so advanced in their dementia that they hit and scream and resist any attempts at caregiving. Some do bizarre things like go into a random room and poo on the floor. I think the reason I'm having a harder time working with these residents is that I want to make a connection with my patients, and I can't help but take it a little bit personally when I get hit or screamed at, even though I know the hitter or screamer is not "all there". It's emotionally exhausting.
On the other hand, the CNAs that I described in my last entry don't seem bothered at all by the dementia patients. They like working on the dementia ward because they are not at the beck & call of assisted living residents - they just do their caregiving routines and call it good. Although, I don't want to make it sounds like they're all robots - yesterday, for example, a CNA who has been there a long time insisted that we call the nurse on duty right away for a resident who "wasn't acting right". She couldn't quite explain was wasn't "right" about the resident, but when the nurse arrived, she assessed the resident and agreed that there was a problem.
I just feel happier working with slightly more cognizant people, I guess. I have been working on a floor where one of my patients is a sweet little old lady on hospice - she is very weak and needs lots of care, but is just so good-humored. She pages me constantly when I'm working, which would drive me nuts from some people, but with her I can't get upset because I think she just wants some company and some affection. Last weekend I cared for her for two days straight and when I put her to bed one night, she announced, "I love you!" and gave me a big kiss. So sweet. It's going to be tough when she dies.
Another resident on that floor has serious short-term memory loss and a chronic pain condition. She is fixated on her pain medication and with the memory loss, can't remember when she last had it. So she pages often to tell me that she's in pain and she wants some medication. I tried rubbing her back where she said it hurt, and it was like a miracle - her breathing slowed, she relaxed, and said she could rest and wait until dinnertime for her medication. I felt like a freaking genius. :) It's not like I did anything major, but it felt really good to make a small positive change for this lady. I felt like a nurse and not a caregiving robot.
Labels: CNA
