In case I don't see ya. . .

Today was my last day at the Murray Care Center. For that alone, it was a great day. However, I have learned once again to be careful what I say out loud.

I said to another aid at breakfast, "I don't care if my whole hall has diarrhea, it'll be a good day because it's the last day." Well, no one had diarhhea, but one woman made things interesting.

She's a dementia patient, and she has her distinct issues. She is the reason that they had to remove the candy vending machine from the employee section. (She had taken something from her brief, and deposited it in the drop, and that's as specific as I care to get.) On upside there, it may have cured my addiction to vending machine candy. I can't look a vending machine in the face now.

Same patient, with adjusted medication, three weeks later. She's in a wheel chair with a lap belt because she wanders. This is supposed to be a restraint. She's not tied to a bed, you understand. She's just not supposed to be able to stand up. So how does this woman manage to reach into her brief, grab a handful of . . . stuff. . . and fling it on the carpet?

I cleaned up the environment, and then took her to the restroom to finish cleaning her up. The whole time I'm wiping her down, she's cursing at me, and asking me what the I'm doing. So the third time I tell her "I'm cleaning off the poop!" she says, "I know that! You must be stupid." It's funny how being called an idiot looses its sting when the person calling you names functions at the level of a chimpanzee.

This woman's name? Jane. Not the barking Jane, a completely different Jane. Is it the name?

So, I was all set to breeze out of there and shake the dust from my feet when I went to say goodbye to some of my favorite residents. I did okay until I got to Swede, an older gentleman (obviously). When ever I asked him if I could get him anything, he'd always say "Jim Beam and t-bone steak." The day I threatened to bring him a steak, he stopped asking for it. He gave me a hug and told me he loved me. I got all choked up, and made an undignified, sniffly exit. I guess it wasn't such a bad experience after all.

Good afternoon, good evening and good night.