I'd arrived at the visit and straight away I had to get into action. I'd let the paramedics in, the warden was on their way and I was trying to not get in the way but be helpful where I could be.
It's very strange when this kind of thing occurs.Which is why I always had the attitude of not taking each visit for granted. You never knew what was going to happen and when it did, it happened quickly.
So instead of the usual duties required, I hear the words from the paramedics saying 'we are taking her in....Could you get some things together?'
Packing! You don't find details of this in the notes! Health and safety and duties etc are all covered, but packing a hospital bag at short notice ? Nah! Nothing to say what a service user would require in such an event.
On a personal note, I always found packing for myself would take a lot of preparation, a few weeks beforehand. Lots of 'packing lists'.Sorting out your toiletry bag because you always came across something in there you'd forgotten you had. Planning your laundry schedule so that everything you want to take is clean and dry to pack in good time. Oh, and then there's all the stuff for 'just in case' (pardon the pun)!Books,crosswords, music,extras. The list goes on! ( Talking of 'cases', its also nice to get a new bag of some kind whenever you go on a trip, don't you think???!!!!)
Back to the hospital bag. I decided to go down the route of having enough to get by for a day or two. It went something like this:-
Nightie's
Cardigan
Slippers
Underwear
Specs
Wash bag..Including toothbrush!
Medication had already been dealt with by the paramedics.
Handbag
Housekeys
This would obviously, vary slightly for the gentlemen,but you get the gist!
On reflection I think it would help if this kind of thing was recorded somewhere in each persons notes.At the very least you would be able to make sure they had the bare essentials and be as comfortable as they could be in such an eventuality.
http://astore.amazon.co.uk/carerscoffeep-21
Franklin D. Roosevelt
It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something.
Showing posts with label service user. Show all posts
Showing posts with label service user. Show all posts
Friday, 1 June 2012
Friday, 25 May 2012
Is it ok to grieve?
It was just gone 7.00am, spring in my step,sun shining,a beautiful start to the day. I'm about to set off for my first visit of the day. The mobile rings. I'm told to cancel the visit..... the service user has died.
No other information was given. No details. No sincereity. From the progammers view, it was a case of 'cross off the timesheet for the rest of the week.'
Sounds cold for a caring profession eh? I agree, however from their point of view they have a job to do and visits to cover at very short notice or to cancel.
Of course I had to carry on with the rest of my morning visits.Being cheerful and positive for others while I helped them get ready for the day. I had to keep this sad news to myself and get used to the idea very quickly of not seeing this person again.
I had been in most days for the past nine months and I had been in the previous day. A normal visit, nothing out of the ordinary and oh how quickly it all changed. Even though death was expected at some point, it still threw me.
So, how was I going to deal with this? First off, I wasn't going to cross them off my timesheet until the end of the week! My little way of recognising them as a person and not just a name on a list.Secondly, I would attend the funeral.Thirdly, I'm gonna have a good cry.
The only support I got from colleagues was at a meeting in the afternoon. It went along the lines of..Who was the last to see them- me...how did they look-fine...Are you ok-yes...Moving on, about elastic stockings...! That was it! No offer of talking to a supervisor if I needed, no offer of anything.
Definately on my own with this one. So, I'm here to put the record straight.
Yes I cried. Yes I thought about this person and their young family. Yes I went to the funeral.
I allowed myself to grieve, albeit in my own time.
It was ok, behind close doors no one was going to judge me or tell me Im not tough enough.I questioned my own morality, I wondered if I had done enough in the visits, I hoped the family didn't think I was being rude by not sending a condolence card (I was told it was not the thing to do and not part of the job- too personal).I did want to talk about it to someone at work but it wasn't going to happen.
This was my first experience of a death in my job. Sadly, one of many over the years. I learnt how to cope with it and kept it on a private and personal level. For each person, I had always gone home and lit a candle. I would admit to myself any sadness I felt and if I needed to cry I would.
“It's so curious: one can resist tears and 'behave' very well in the hardest hours of grief. But then someone makes you a friendly sign behind a window, or one notices that a flower that was in bud only yesterday has suddenly blossomed, or a letter slips from a drawer... and everything collapses. ”
― Colette
www.crusebereavementcare.org.uk/
.http://astore.amazon.co.uk/carerscoffeep-21
No other information was given. No details. No sincereity. From the progammers view, it was a case of 'cross off the timesheet for the rest of the week.'
Sounds cold for a caring profession eh? I agree, however from their point of view they have a job to do and visits to cover at very short notice or to cancel.
Of course I had to carry on with the rest of my morning visits.Being cheerful and positive for others while I helped them get ready for the day. I had to keep this sad news to myself and get used to the idea very quickly of not seeing this person again.
I had been in most days for the past nine months and I had been in the previous day. A normal visit, nothing out of the ordinary and oh how quickly it all changed. Even though death was expected at some point, it still threw me.
So, how was I going to deal with this? First off, I wasn't going to cross them off my timesheet until the end of the week! My little way of recognising them as a person and not just a name on a list.Secondly, I would attend the funeral.Thirdly, I'm gonna have a good cry.
The only support I got from colleagues was at a meeting in the afternoon. It went along the lines of..Who was the last to see them- me...how did they look-fine...Are you ok-yes...Moving on, about elastic stockings...! That was it! No offer of talking to a supervisor if I needed, no offer of anything.
Definately on my own with this one. So, I'm here to put the record straight.
Yes I cried. Yes I thought about this person and their young family. Yes I went to the funeral.
I allowed myself to grieve, albeit in my own time.
It was ok, behind close doors no one was going to judge me or tell me Im not tough enough.I questioned my own morality, I wondered if I had done enough in the visits, I hoped the family didn't think I was being rude by not sending a condolence card (I was told it was not the thing to do and not part of the job- too personal).I did want to talk about it to someone at work but it wasn't going to happen.
This was my first experience of a death in my job. Sadly, one of many over the years. I learnt how to cope with it and kept it on a private and personal level. For each person, I had always gone home and lit a candle. I would admit to myself any sadness I felt and if I needed to cry I would.
“It's so curious: one can resist tears and 'behave' very well in the hardest hours of grief. But then someone makes you a friendly sign behind a window, or one notices that a flower that was in bud only yesterday has suddenly blossomed, or a letter slips from a drawer... and everything collapses. ”
― Colette
www.crusebereavementcare.org.uk/
.http://astore.amazon.co.uk/carerscoffeep-21
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