Category: For Fun
Posted by Dr. El - December 5, 2011 - Anecdotes, For Fun
She sat quietly in her wing chair, lost in thought . Hearing my knock and spying me standing in the doorframe, she sighed. “You might as well come in, but I have nothing to say.”
“That’s what you tell me every week, and then you talk my ear off!” I teased her.
She smiled. “That’s true.”
“You seem like you’ve got a lot on your mind,” I said, settling down on the chair across from her. Her face looked tired and was devoid of color.
She nodded. “It’s that Arthur. He’s come visiting again.” She rubbed her swollen knuckles, and elaborated on her pains. “I wish that Mr. Itis would leave me alone, but I guess I’ve got to live with him.” She sighed, and then looked at me brightly. “My niece took me out to the movies this weekend!”
“Really! What did you see?”
“Well, she said it was My Day, so we went to see that vampire movie, even though she’d seen it twice already.”
“Twilight?” I was surprised.
“Yes, that’s the one!” Her voice sounded chipper. “Oh, honey, there was a scene where a couple spent the night together and afterward, that room was just torn up! What did he do to her, I wondered, but she said she had the night of her life.”
“Really?”
“Oh, yes.” She paused for emphasis. “Honey, that’s My Man!”
We both laughed out loud.
I love this job.
Posted by Dr. El - October 27, 2011 - For Fun, Personal Reflections, Resident care
When I was in college at the State University of New York at Albany, I took an intriguing course called Behavioral Geography. The professor taught us that how we used a place affected the way we mapped it in our brains. One of our assignments was to ask people we knew from different groups to draw a map of the city of Albany. The students I asked invariably featured the University prominently, and included lots of details like the apartments of friends, well-known downtown buildings, and favorite watering holes. My other group of maps came from patrons of the local Woolworth’s lunch counter where I served up coffee and tuna melts to pay for college expenses. (Yeah, this was back in the days of Woolworth’s, a now-defunct Walmart-ish store.) The people who frequented the lunch counter were mostly working class locals and outpatients from the local psychiatric center, and this really fun homeless guy who rolled cigarettes in the paper napkins, which let out plumes of smoke. (Yeah, this was in the days when you could smoke at a lunch counter in New York.) The maps drawn by my lunch counter friends were devoid of details such as street names and landmarks. My homeless man drew a single line with an X to represent the Woolworth’s on Central Avenue. I was shocked, and fascinated, by the disparity between the groups.
Now imagine drawing maps of the nursing home. My map, and those of staff members who work on many units like I do, would show lots of details – we get around the place. Other staff members, with specific floor assignments, might show the lobby, the lunchroom, and their particular floor. And what about the residents? The lucky few with motorized scooters or the ability to wheel themselves around might show their floor, the recreation area, rehab, and the backyard. Those with limited mobility might draw their floors and the recreation area if they attend scheduled activities. But I imagine others, if they could, would draw only their rooms, the shower room, and the dining area. Just a line with three Xs. What can we do to enlarge their worlds?
Posted by Dr. El - October 1, 2011 - Anecdotes, For Fun
“Well,” I said to Wanda, standing up at the end of our session, “I’ll see you next week, Love.”
“Okay, Honey,” she replied.
I laughed.
“What’s so funny?” she asked.
“I called you ‘Love’ and you called me ‘Honey.'”
She laughed.
I walked out of the room smiling.
Posted by Dr. El - August 18, 2011 - For Fun, Role of psychologists
Dr. El offers the inside story on what it’s like to be a psychologist: Jobshadow interviews Dr. El
Posted by Dr. El - July 12, 2011 - For Fun
I was real happy and carefree and old
And I was enjoying the years they call gold
When one day I lost focus and I guess that I slipped.
All that I know is my health took a dip.
First was the visit to the medical center,
Where they poked me and prodded — they could have been gentler.
Then they sent me for rehab to regain my old gait.
If that would have happened, it would have been great.
Instead I’m now long-term and you know I’m not thrilled,
But they said I’ll get Medicaid and will never be billed.
My roommate’s a snorer and the aides call me “Hon.”
It’s hard to get outside to take in the sun.
I sit and I think of the things that I miss.
Never thought I would wind up in a place like this.
They sent me a shrink to inspect my poor mood.
I’d have sent her away, but didn’t want to be rude.
Now I find that she’s helping — it’s surprising to me.
She said there’s a reason things came to be.
I look forward to her visits and while I await,
I find some activities are unexpectedly great.
It’s not what I wanted; it just shouldn’t be,
But one thing life has taught me — it’s never easy.
I must learn to accept; I must learn to make do,
And find clever ways to live life anew.
So pay me a visit and you will soon see,
Life might be different, but inside I’m still me.
Posted by Dr. El - July 5, 2011 - Anecdotes, For Fun
Paranoid Resident: “Every time they laugh at me, I put a curse on them.
Me:“You put a curse on them?”
Resident: “Yes. What choice do I have?”
Posted by Dr. El - June 13, 2011 - For Fun, Personal Reflections
7 Things I Worry About in Advance of My Nursing Home Stay
- How I’m going to manage my lip balm addiction
- Being cold in those flimsy cotton house dresses
- Controlling my temper when staff members call me “Honey” in that high-pitched, patronizing tone
- The mortifying trip from room to shower half-draped in a sheet (see “being cold” and “controlling my temper,” above)
- How I’m going to get outside for fresh air, even in the winter
- Getting dark, leafy greens in my salad
- Internet access
One potential problem I’ve already solved:
Posted by Dr. El - July 19, 2010 - For Fun, Personal Reflections
- Give ’em hell
- Knit
- Hang out on the patio from Spring through Fall
- Attend every off-campus trip available
- Read
- Write
- Join, or start, the International Association of Nursing Home Residents
- Sit in the lobby and watch the people come and go, while knitting
- Attend the Classic Rock and R&B performances in therapeutic recreation
- Take a survey course in world religion by attending services of every denomination
- Watch all the movies I’ve missed
- Eat chocolate every day, just like I do now
- Teach people about nursing homes from the resident perspective
Posted by Dr. El - June 17, 2010 - For Fun, Personal Reflections
A little over a year ago, I decided to stop coloring my hair (
Going Gray). I’d started to feel uncomfortable hiding my silver while I was spending my days helping folks deal with growing older. I kept a box of fire red in the closet, though, just in case it was a disaster.
I got through the difficult early phase (
Going Gray Update) by hiding my hair under thick headbands that (mostly) covered the gray.
I kept going through the multi-colored stage (
Going Gray Update #2), emotionally fortified by splurging on great cuts by Stacey Lyn Weinstein of
Loft 26 in Manhattan.
And now I’m done!!! And I love it. I’m a silver sister. Thanks, to those who encouraged me along the way.
Posted by Dr. El - April 22, 2010 - For Fun
I’m still at it! Cut by Stacey Lyn Weinstein of Loft 26 in Manhattan.
