I got really angry today... and a few weeks ago... and a few weeks before that... all about one particular client... I'm so fed up with being disrespected for doing my job to the best of my ability... like being told in a client's diary that (they didn't know it was me) the staff obviously doesn't care about the client because they didn't bother cleaning her up after having diarrhoea.... talk about a load of rubbish!!! I was alone with 2 clients in the bus... one had diarrhoea...I had to find a public toilet block where I could clean her up and not leave the other client for too long... and I spent a good 20 or more minutes cleaning her up! AND to make it worse, she didn't have any spare clothes in her bag...just one piece of clothing which had to make do...then they have the nerve to say I don't care! If I didn't care, I wouldn't have bothered stopping at a toilet block...which didn't even have rubbish bins!!!
But having said that...all I can say is that I know I did the best under the circumstances, and I explained it all to the staff when I dropped her home (late), and they obviously didn't communicate the explanation very well to the other staff... who wrote the offensive note.
At least my conscience is clear.
I'm wondering if this is some kind of spiritual attack... the people seem to be targeting me without knowing it's me... it's always something I've done that gets a note in the diary... and it's never as bad as they make out... sometimes I wonder if some people only know how to stir up trouble... so I refuse to add fuel to the fire. If they want a fight, they will not get one under these circumstances.
Ok, that's out. Time to enjoy the rest of the night :)
Tuesday, 13 July 2010
Thursday, 20 May 2010
He's gone...
My client passed away over a week ago... I'm glad I saw him when I did.
I wanted to visit him again a week later, but my spirit said "No". Something didn't feel right...the next day he was gone. I believe God prevented me from a difficult experience if I did visit. Nobody expected it so soon.
We're still all waiting to hear funeral details...we've gone from expecting a quick funeral (within 2-3days), to hearing it may be 2 weeks after his death. So many variables I didn't realise existed... eg, family needs to release the body, notices cannot be printed in the paper until a family has placed one first... and other things I don't really understand... 'red tape' in some ways, 'just life' in other ways.
It's harder on our clients than our staff...it must be harder to understand and accept when you have an intellectual disability. Some of our guys don't even seem to care that he's gone, but I know they do. They just don't understand as much. That's not a bad thing. They deal with it differently.
I had to explain to one client that he shouldn't get upset when others don't get upset like he does - because they don't understand the way he does. He seemed ok with that. It was a good small chat. He has taken it hard. The deceased man and he had known each other 15years. Then suddenly he's gone. We can understand, and we know it seems unfair that people get sick and die suddenly... but these guys don't seem to be able to accept the unfairness of life as easily. It has definitely been an interesting, and at times, stressful time.
In the end, I know God has His plans, and we don't need to know the details...but yes, it does seem unfair that people with intellectual disabilities have to go through the same sicknesses as others... even if it's not fair that anybody gets sick, these people don't have the intellectual capacity to understand what's going on....so it must be far more scary for them.... It just seems cruel...but when you put them in the same box as the rest of humanity... no labels, no differences... then it makes sense... they too have family medical histories and are more susceptible to various conditions... so in the end, they're not being singled out or protected. "Nature" shows no favourites... that's just life.
This man did have the capacity to understand the sickness etc, but he didn't necessarily understand why the doctors and nurses did/didn't do things... one reason is some apparently didn't even try to explain the procedures...they just treated him as they would any patient...which is also not a bad thing in general, but it's horrible when you know a person doesn't understand like the average patient.
I just hope his last days were less stressful and he died peacefully...
I wanted to visit him again a week later, but my spirit said "No". Something didn't feel right...the next day he was gone. I believe God prevented me from a difficult experience if I did visit. Nobody expected it so soon.
We're still all waiting to hear funeral details...we've gone from expecting a quick funeral (within 2-3days), to hearing it may be 2 weeks after his death. So many variables I didn't realise existed... eg, family needs to release the body, notices cannot be printed in the paper until a family has placed one first... and other things I don't really understand... 'red tape' in some ways, 'just life' in other ways.
It's harder on our clients than our staff...it must be harder to understand and accept when you have an intellectual disability. Some of our guys don't even seem to care that he's gone, but I know they do. They just don't understand as much. That's not a bad thing. They deal with it differently.
I had to explain to one client that he shouldn't get upset when others don't get upset like he does - because they don't understand the way he does. He seemed ok with that. It was a good small chat. He has taken it hard. The deceased man and he had known each other 15years. Then suddenly he's gone. We can understand, and we know it seems unfair that people get sick and die suddenly... but these guys don't seem to be able to accept the unfairness of life as easily. It has definitely been an interesting, and at times, stressful time.
In the end, I know God has His plans, and we don't need to know the details...but yes, it does seem unfair that people with intellectual disabilities have to go through the same sicknesses as others... even if it's not fair that anybody gets sick, these people don't have the intellectual capacity to understand what's going on....so it must be far more scary for them.... It just seems cruel...but when you put them in the same box as the rest of humanity... no labels, no differences... then it makes sense... they too have family medical histories and are more susceptible to various conditions... so in the end, they're not being singled out or protected. "Nature" shows no favourites... that's just life.
This man did have the capacity to understand the sickness etc, but he didn't necessarily understand why the doctors and nurses did/didn't do things... one reason is some apparently didn't even try to explain the procedures...they just treated him as they would any patient...which is also not a bad thing in general, but it's horrible when you know a person doesn't understand like the average patient.
I just hope his last days were less stressful and he died peacefully...
Monday, 3 May 2010
A sad visit
I went to visit one if my clients today... he is dying of heart failure and has been in hospital for over a week... we were expecting him to be able to stay home and receive palliative care... now we don't know if he'll be able to go home or spend his last days in the hospital. It's so sad... he looks awful compared to the man I knew a few months ago. He's on constant oxygen... and he's so tired... He has a mild intellectual disability, but you wouldn't know just seeing him in his hospital bed...
It's just so sad to see somebody who was so fiercely independent suffer like this...
But that's life...it doesn't seem fair... but that's the way it is... It's times like these you realise how much prayer makes a difference...especially when you have no idea what else to do...
There was a lady in a bed opposite him who watched us...I just smiled at her... that seemed to make her happy :) Hopefully the small things make their lives better...
It's just so sad to see somebody who was so fiercely independent suffer like this...
But that's life...it doesn't seem fair... but that's the way it is... It's times like these you realise how much prayer makes a difference...especially when you have no idea what else to do...
There was a lady in a bed opposite him who watched us...I just smiled at her... that seemed to make her happy :) Hopefully the small things make their lives better...
Friday, 2 April 2010
White tail spider bite!
Something else that has happened in the last 2 weeks was that I was bitten by a spider (right arm).
I have no idea when or where, I just know the bite marks didn't heal for over a week, so I saw the doctor who suspected it was a white tail spider...yuck! They like to hide in warm material like curtains or sheets. There are many places I could have met him...no way to determine...
I was led to believe that white tails are so full of bacteria, they cause huge, dark swelling of the affected limb, sometimes leading to amputation. If I had seen a white tail, I wouldn't have gone near it! (without insect spray). If I knew it was that, I would've gone to the doctor straight away!
The doctor used words like, "aggressive" and "angry" to describe the bite site. It was nasty, like a big scab, surrounded by swollen skin and bumps like hives.
Well, I'm happy to say that after a week of antibiotics, the skin is mostly healed. Now it's just a bit of dermatitis...reaction to the bite maybe.
What shocks me the most is how many people don't know what a white tail looks like! Maybe I just presumed everybody knows because of growing up in the country....where white tails were so common, we just killed them when we saw them. Every kid knew not to go near them. But as I said, I grew up in the country, so maybe in the city less people are exposed to them as often.
I have no pictures...the antibiotics moved into action quickly :)
I have no idea when or where, I just know the bite marks didn't heal for over a week, so I saw the doctor who suspected it was a white tail spider...yuck! They like to hide in warm material like curtains or sheets. There are many places I could have met him...no way to determine...
I was led to believe that white tails are so full of bacteria, they cause huge, dark swelling of the affected limb, sometimes leading to amputation. If I had seen a white tail, I wouldn't have gone near it! (without insect spray). If I knew it was that, I would've gone to the doctor straight away!
The doctor used words like, "aggressive" and "angry" to describe the bite site. It was nasty, like a big scab, surrounded by swollen skin and bumps like hives.
Well, I'm happy to say that after a week of antibiotics, the skin is mostly healed. Now it's just a bit of dermatitis...reaction to the bite maybe.
What shocks me the most is how many people don't know what a white tail looks like! Maybe I just presumed everybody knows because of growing up in the country....where white tails were so common, we just killed them when we saw them. Every kid knew not to go near them. But as I said, I grew up in the country, so maybe in the city less people are exposed to them as often.
I have no pictures...the antibiotics moved into action quickly :)
Easter ponderings
Happy Easter!
I managed not to blog for the whole of March...
Something interesting happened this week...a girl from another country asked why Aussies celebrate Easter and Christmas...like she was surprised at how little 'spiritual' holidays we get, but didn't know the reason for the holidays anyway.
When you grow up in a supposedly "Christian country", it's presumed everybody knows what Easter and Christmas are about...even if they don't believe it. At least, that's how it felt in the 80's and 90's... So at worst the atheists get a day off thanks to the Christians...
These days, it isn't so... people from all over the world are immigrating here, bringing with them their cultures and beliefs... and now we're seeing the reasons for the holidays are no longer obvious and an 'everybody knows' topic. Many kids don't even know what the cross on a hot cross bus is... when I was a kid, you were considered dumb if you didn't know that!
When I mentioned a story about a little kid telling my friend while she was teaching RE (Religious Education), that the cross is to tell you where to cut it...another person said she didn't even know that! She was brought up in Australia and is older than me...
Those are the things that make you ponder.... it's one thing to grow up in a Christian country, and another thing to actually live as a Christian in that country that no longer embraces that foundation. Life has definitely changed in the last 30years!
I managed not to blog for the whole of March...
Something interesting happened this week...a girl from another country asked why Aussies celebrate Easter and Christmas...like she was surprised at how little 'spiritual' holidays we get, but didn't know the reason for the holidays anyway.
When you grow up in a supposedly "Christian country", it's presumed everybody knows what Easter and Christmas are about...even if they don't believe it. At least, that's how it felt in the 80's and 90's... So at worst the atheists get a day off thanks to the Christians...
These days, it isn't so... people from all over the world are immigrating here, bringing with them their cultures and beliefs... and now we're seeing the reasons for the holidays are no longer obvious and an 'everybody knows' topic. Many kids don't even know what the cross on a hot cross bus is... when I was a kid, you were considered dumb if you didn't know that!
When I mentioned a story about a little kid telling my friend while she was teaching RE (Religious Education), that the cross is to tell you where to cut it...another person said she didn't even know that! She was brought up in Australia and is older than me...
Those are the things that make you ponder.... it's one thing to grow up in a Christian country, and another thing to actually live as a Christian in that country that no longer embraces that foundation. Life has definitely changed in the last 30years!
Saturday, 20 February 2010
Surprise interview and new permanent day! :)
Talk about fast! I was in the staffroom yesterday morning, about to make a cup of tea after my early morning bus run (as a staff escort), when my manager asked what I was supposed to be doing in the next few minutes....then asked me to go into her office for my interview!
She told me to make my tea and bring it in. So I did :) I was starving and just needed something to get me by... then I had my short interview.
At the end of the day I was told I have my 4th permanent day I applied for! :) So now I have 4 permanent days, and am trialing my half-day Mondays. If it all goes well I'll be working 4.5days a week :)
So...this week I was sprung... 3 times! One was my offer for Mondays, 2, the surprise interview, and 3, ending the week with a new permanent day :)
It's been a good week :)
She told me to make my tea and bring it in. So I did :) I was starving and just needed something to get me by... then I had my short interview.
At the end of the day I was told I have my 4th permanent day I applied for! :) So now I have 4 permanent days, and am trialing my half-day Mondays. If it all goes well I'll be working 4.5days a week :)
So...this week I was sprung... 3 times! One was my offer for Mondays, 2, the surprise interview, and 3, ending the week with a new permanent day :)
It's been a good week :)
Thursday, 18 February 2010
New Year, New Journey
I think this year is "The Year of Change" for me.
Moving on, moving up, moving away... MOVING!
My job is already creating change...I've applied to keep my one contract day, so I'll have 4 permanent days....and I've been given a Monday position in an alternate setting... same job, different method/location....it's actually like a completely different role. 1:1 with a man in an electric wheelchair for 4 hours, just generally socialising and getting him out of his environment to have a bit of fun. I start my trial period this coming Monday. I met him yesterday and I think we'll get along fine :) He seems fun, so hopefully it will all work out and we'll have a good time together.
I've stepped down from my ministry roles...and it feels like the door is closed, and I have a new-found freedom that is "for such a time as this" (Esther 4:14). I loved my ministry, but there comes a time when you know God is telling you it's time to move on. Now I've begun moving on, I know I can't go back. I don't have the grace to go back. It's time to move on to new pastures...
a new journey with my husband... we hardly ever spent time together in church while I was leading the ministry. Now we can be in church together.
It's a new day! Lots of new things this year....more than I will write about now, but in the right time I'll write about our other exciting changes! But for now, just know that all things are working together for these 2 children of God! :)
Life is great....it has it's challenges and joys, but I wouldn't want anything different right now :)
Moving on, moving up, moving away... MOVING!
My job is already creating change...I've applied to keep my one contract day, so I'll have 4 permanent days....and I've been given a Monday position in an alternate setting... same job, different method/location....it's actually like a completely different role. 1:1 with a man in an electric wheelchair for 4 hours, just generally socialising and getting him out of his environment to have a bit of fun. I start my trial period this coming Monday. I met him yesterday and I think we'll get along fine :) He seems fun, so hopefully it will all work out and we'll have a good time together.
I've stepped down from my ministry roles...and it feels like the door is closed, and I have a new-found freedom that is "for such a time as this" (Esther 4:14). I loved my ministry, but there comes a time when you know God is telling you it's time to move on. Now I've begun moving on, I know I can't go back. I don't have the grace to go back. It's time to move on to new pastures...
a new journey with my husband... we hardly ever spent time together in church while I was leading the ministry. Now we can be in church together.
It's a new day! Lots of new things this year....more than I will write about now, but in the right time I'll write about our other exciting changes! But for now, just know that all things are working together for these 2 children of God! :)
Life is great....it has it's challenges and joys, but I wouldn't want anything different right now :)
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