Finally Advancing to a Nursing Home

I was planning to have a slow week at work—finally. But. A buddy called last Friday to see if I could squeeze in a job near home. I agreed to and am spending my week at a “Care Center.” My assignment began at 6:45 Monday morning as I met the “sup” for the job. He had never worked in a “retirement home” before, so he was eager to tell me all about it, what to look out for and what to expect. He wanted to warn me about “Esther” who was continually putting the moves on him. (He assumed that she was after all the guys and wanted me to be prepared, but after two days I’ve come to realize that she is not after all the guys, and I am safe. This 80-something gal is after him, continually asking about this 40 year-old guy with all his hair, wondering when he’ll be back.)

This job supervisor’s warnings along with some initial encounters with staff got me wondering what I had gotten myself into. Needing some water early Monday morning, I looked in vain for a janitor’s sink. Finally I chased down a maintenance guy pushing a floor polisher to ask for water. This character looked like he had come straight from the zombie film, “Night of the Living Dead.” He made no response to my question, but continued walking, pushing the machine in front of him, staring straight ahead. He walked about 30 feet and then stopped, reached for a door handle, opened it, and then continued walking. It sure seemed he was happy to be there. But after two full days I’m finding it quite delightful.

This morning I was anxious to tackle another unit. I’m working on a total of 12 rooms plus a few patches in the stairways. It was raining outside; the rooms were dark, since the drapes had not yet been pulled. I brought in some of my tools and materials to the first room of the day and a funky odor overcame me. The room looked vacant, but I looked toward the “ladies’ room” in the back to see if someone was using the facilities. Nobody was in there. I decided to open the curtains. The room was brightening as the smell was intensifying. Ah ha! The culprit lay beneath me. I had been straddling a stool, and not one upon which I’d like to sit. I informed the staff and they were gracious enough to quickly remove the offending article, but the stench seemed to linger well past the time I was in there.

My 3 o’clock hour at the “old folk’s home” today was a treat, since I got to hear a well-done hymn sing from the commons area, the music loud enough that it drifted into the room where I finished up the day.

I’m finding that the biggest challenge is turning out to be the “convalescence home” heat, temperatures high enough to make the folks think they are in Florida. When nobody’s looking I sometimes crack open a window to get a little fresh air. But other than that, the overall mood and atmosphere is very upbeat and I’m looking forward to heading back tomorrow to once again play in the mud.