Tova's Workplace Blog

 Amidst my frustrating morning and anxieties around the woman I assist with mealtimes at the LTC,  I tried my best to find a place of calm. The day panned out. Some fun things occured. I had ordered an ESL book for a resident who'd been super patient, and it felt like a huge win, only to find out it was too complex for him and his wife who'd visited to understand. Back to the grindstone with that. I got through my day. I visited my residents to find out who'd like to participate in bible study in June, and what topics they felt were most important to them. I popped in on my favourite people. One of them is a gentleman who I can tell has love in his heart for me, but I cannot pursue it as my professional obligations restrict that kind of relationship. I always try to redirect it to a platonic place of mutual care, but today he wanted a hug. He gently put his hands on my mid back while I hugged him. I don't say no to hugs at work, just because we all know how integral hum...

 Today was overall a good day. Nothing special on our horizon. Another person passed away, but it was a slow path downwards after the last hospital visit for them.  I think we pulled off a miracle that truly made my boss's day. We've got person A. This person has been MONUMENTALLY challenging for our team and especially our boss. But as we are attempting to encourage this person's activation, we bring them to more group programs. Today they did bingo. Then in the afternoon, they spent time with a person they liked. And in the afternoon, my team mate recommended I try this person for a recorded announcement that we play in the home thrice weekly for residents and staff to know what upcoming activities and events are going on. (residents read off a pre-written announcement written by me, which I then record on our cellphone) I did not expect this person to say yes to doing an announcement, but they did, and concisely! I was impressed. I was floored. I was thrilled. I ran back...

 Today I fell apart. I still feel like I'm falling apart. One thing after the other and then the other. I think my boss is losing faith in me although she knows how good I am at my job. First off I can see why she worries about me, but also I felt like she doesn't have enough patience or understanding of me. I can't say that I'm perfect, and at the end of the conversation we had this morning I think she utilized what empathy she had left to try and meet me halfway. The thing I did like that she said to me was on the lines of "we might not get it all right, but if you spent that time changing a few people's lives for the better, you had that impact, and that's important to them." This is the truth, this is why I take on more than any other person in my team. I'm not a work-a-holic, I just want my clients to feel good about themselves, to feel alive, to feel encouraged.  I mean we write these dinky care plans every month, and it says in each one that...

Happy Spring! Photos from this spring's fun programming.  Mother's day badges Rooftop view from the home Beauty cart with music, flowers and kit Gardening Club  

 Have you ever heard this about yourself? "you care too much" I often say, "they care too little".  The problem with long-term care is that we are often: underfunded understaffed People do what they can to survive and cope with an endless workload. In activation, we spend all our time being the supporters, the nurterers, the team members who fill in gaps where the nursing and psw staff can't get to. We are often overstepped and under appreciated. We're the morale boosters, the people who get asked to fill in where we're not supposed to.  Aside from that, people think: "Tova's crazy, she cares too much". Yeah I'm crazy. Yeah I care A LOT. Yeah I'm sensitive to other's needs and my own. Yeah I have a thin tolerance for shit. But take my entire life story into account. Why am I like that? Was I always like that? Maybe, maybe it developed into something more over time. What I disagree with is when I'm being told this in respect ...

 I don't know how many days I've been working with person A on doing some simple dementiability interventions, but it has been monumentally successful.  There are some things to consider however.  First of all, this model doesn't guarantee success with every person. They say that in their workshops. There is no 100% success model for all human beings. We all know that. Secondarily, I think the person I work with and I have a lot of characteristics in common. We both like consistency and familiarity, and we get nervous easily when things change that are out of our control. This has accounted for quite a lot of my success with her. I can't guess how it might have failed or needed something different on my part with anyone else.  Having said that, I have found success using the following: -Folding her own apron after every meal I assist her with. -Utilizing her background that I know about (in her medical profile) to bring activities that provide meaning and utility, en...

  As much as I am ok with death, I am also very not ok with it. Weird eh? I'm in a field where death is eminent and ready to happen at any given moment. Someone died today, and I was disappointed. I didn't have a close relationship to said person, but it still came on suddenly and shocked us all. I am ok with her passing, but also not ok with it. Death is natural, and inevitable and also (in my opinion) a private and human right. But it still shocks us, angers us and bereaves the loved ones. We learned in school about death, dying and bereavement. I found it mostly boring, but that was thanks to the subject material and the instructor. (sorry!) I found the studies on M.A.I.D in Canada thought provoking and insightful. I also enjoyed learning about cultures and how they grieve or view death. That doesn't mean being in long-term care and being surrounded by death is easy for anyone. People were in tears today, as would be expected. A group gathered to pay their respects. A la...