Post by achot on Aug 16, 2012 13:47:19 GMT -5
Sometimes we do really good work at the nursing home I work at. Surprises even me and I have to share. Over a year ago an octogenarian couple was admitted, two corpses really and our medical director did not want the responsibility of caring for them as they were sure to die soon, but our administrator who is always looking to fill beds pushed the admission through. The wife is a type 1 brittle diabetic(IDDM) and a psych patient who decided her meds as well as her husbands' heart meds were poison. Their kids found them on the brink of death at home ( I am not exaggerating), He, with presssure sores and in terrible cardiac shape, unstable vitals and the worst EKG I have ever seen, unable to walk, talk, confused and total ADL dependent with no one to care for him. She with blood sugars bouncing all over the place, DVT, delusional, and legally blind. They had no food in the house and both were malnourished as well.
We pulled out all stops to stabilize them medically which took time. By then we discovered that they really were terrific people who were grossly misguided. He was actually fully oriented and could speak perfectly (something he didnt do for the first 6 months at us), when he regained his strength, he worked hard in PT and can now walk with a walker, special shoes and assistance for 50 feet. He feeds himself and helps with his daily care. He is in our SNF division, She is in our Assisted living rooms praying for the day that we can allow him to join her. They spend most of their days either in her room or they go for a stroll in our park, sit on the veranda, participate in intellectual activities and listen to concerts on TV. After adjusting to the place, which also took time (the food was not to their liking, certain staff were harsh or impatient, other patients bothered them etc.) they now report that living with us was the best thing that they ever did. They glow with good health, Her blood sugars are still monitored 6 times a day but she is somewhat stable, her eyesight is better with routine Ophthalmology care and eye drops, her legs have returned to their youthful shape and she is no longer in pain, She loves the staff and the food, the park and the shopping area nearby and most of all, she loves not having to worry about cooking, shopping, ironing, laundry, medications, doctor appointments, etc. she lets us do all that for her and she can concentrate on enjoying her remaining years and shepping nachas from her family who now find it a pleasure to visit them. He, too, is so much healthier and stable, enjoying life with his wife, Today they chose to tell me how happy they are and now I am glowing as well. Sometimes we are lucky enough and Hashem lets us do good work. I love being his Shaliach!!
n.b. all this of course is a team effort, I do not own the rights to any of this but enjoy being a part of it.
We pulled out all stops to stabilize them medically which took time. By then we discovered that they really were terrific people who were grossly misguided. He was actually fully oriented and could speak perfectly (something he didnt do for the first 6 months at us), when he regained his strength, he worked hard in PT and can now walk with a walker, special shoes and assistance for 50 feet. He feeds himself and helps with his daily care. He is in our SNF division, She is in our Assisted living rooms praying for the day that we can allow him to join her. They spend most of their days either in her room or they go for a stroll in our park, sit on the veranda, participate in intellectual activities and listen to concerts on TV. After adjusting to the place, which also took time (the food was not to their liking, certain staff were harsh or impatient, other patients bothered them etc.) they now report that living with us was the best thing that they ever did. They glow with good health, Her blood sugars are still monitored 6 times a day but she is somewhat stable, her eyesight is better with routine Ophthalmology care and eye drops, her legs have returned to their youthful shape and she is no longer in pain, She loves the staff and the food, the park and the shopping area nearby and most of all, she loves not having to worry about cooking, shopping, ironing, laundry, medications, doctor appointments, etc. she lets us do all that for her and she can concentrate on enjoying her remaining years and shepping nachas from her family who now find it a pleasure to visit them. He, too, is so much healthier and stable, enjoying life with his wife, Today they chose to tell me how happy they are and now I am glowing as well. Sometimes we are lucky enough and Hashem lets us do good work. I love being his Shaliach!!
n.b. all this of course is a team effort, I do not own the rights to any of this but enjoy being a part of it.