There is a lady who lives in the nursing home. She is small, delicate-looking, but is also strong, tough, and posesses an incredibly loud voice. She is somewhat obnoxious, one of those residents who can give you a hard time and bring you close to tears on her bad days.
She's also 'old', in her mid-80's.
Today she called me over and asked, in a demanding tone, "Do you have a boyfriend? Because all men do is sit in caves, scratch their balls, and grunt. One grunt for yes, two grunts for no!"
Sometimes they say the most unexpected things! It was hilarious!
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Sunday, March 1, 2009
The Anniversary Dance
There is a couple at my work, 2 of my 50 charges in my unit. They met after moving in, and fell in love. He has cerebral palsy, and her lower body is under-developed. He can't talk very well, but she is always with him and translates for him. He is sentimental and I helped him make a wedding photo board to hang on the wall. He gave it to her for their first wedding anniversary on Valentine's Day. I helped him make a Valentine's Day card for her. We put it on her tv so she would see it when she got back from the hair salon.
On Valentine's Day we had a dance for all the residents. About 63 of them showed up, as well as some family members and the 5 or 6 staff it takes to pull off a dance. Live entertainment plays up on the stage. Some residents want to dance by themselves, moving around in their wheelchairs, and the other residents we twirl around and wheel around the dance floor. It's a complicated maze, and the rec staff have to be careful not to run people into each other. Our shins are all covered in bruises and cuts afterwards from the foot rests on the chairs, but seeing the smiles and hearing all the laughter is worth it!
The entertainer was playing old war songs. One of the older rec ladies, who was my mentor during my practicum (she's also become my second mom) suggested we each take one of the happy couple so they could dance together for the next song.
It went like a well-oiled machine. No talking, just communication through the eyes. I took him, she took her, and without preplanning we faced each other so the chairs were side to side, with his good arm towards her so they could hold hands. We wheeled them around slowly, hoping it would be a slow dance. The song was "I can't help falling in love with you", by Elvis Presley. Everyone else saw them and, without being asked, cleared the dance floor so it was just the two of them. You could FEEL the love between them, it was so strong. After the song was over she kissed him on the cheek, the only way they can kiss, and everyone clapped and cheered. It was perfect, nothing about it could have gone any better.
I don't think there was a dry eye in the room after. :)
On Valentine's Day we had a dance for all the residents. About 63 of them showed up, as well as some family members and the 5 or 6 staff it takes to pull off a dance. Live entertainment plays up on the stage. Some residents want to dance by themselves, moving around in their wheelchairs, and the other residents we twirl around and wheel around the dance floor. It's a complicated maze, and the rec staff have to be careful not to run people into each other. Our shins are all covered in bruises and cuts afterwards from the foot rests on the chairs, but seeing the smiles and hearing all the laughter is worth it!
The entertainer was playing old war songs. One of the older rec ladies, who was my mentor during my practicum (she's also become my second mom) suggested we each take one of the happy couple so they could dance together for the next song.
It went like a well-oiled machine. No talking, just communication through the eyes. I took him, she took her, and without preplanning we faced each other so the chairs were side to side, with his good arm towards her so they could hold hands. We wheeled them around slowly, hoping it would be a slow dance. The song was "I can't help falling in love with you", by Elvis Presley. Everyone else saw them and, without being asked, cleared the dance floor so it was just the two of them. You could FEEL the love between them, it was so strong. After the song was over she kissed him on the cheek, the only way they can kiss, and everyone clapped and cheered. It was perfect, nothing about it could have gone any better.
I don't think there was a dry eye in the room after. :)
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