Category: Personal Reflections
Posted by Dr. El - January 18, 2011 - Personal Reflections
Resident is a married White 84-year old woman admitted to My Better Nursing Home on 1/1/11 with Dx of Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. ∅ psychotropic meds. Resident was born in NY, has a PhD in psychology, and worked in nursing homes until her retirement. Involved family. Chart reviewed and resident discussed with staff.
Resident was alert, Ox3, and cooperative with the interview. She reported some anxiety related to future events, and acknowledged occasional sleep disturbance. Some irritability noted. Prior MH tx; stated it was part of her training. No HSI. No ETOH. Speech logical and goal-directed; normal rate and tone. Fund of information good. No A/V hallucinations. ADLs good. Sense of humor intact.
Posted by Dr. El - December 29, 2010 - Personal Reflections
2010 has been an exciting year here at My Better Nursing Home, and I’d like to thank you all for visiting and reaching out to me with your questions and ideas. I’ve made new connections through my blog, and deepened relationships with others who’ve been visiting and commenting for some time.
Some highlights of 2010 include:
and my series of interviews with the folks in Kentucky:
I also:
It’s been an interesting year, and I’m looking forward to seeing what 2011 has to offer.
Happy New Year, Dear Readers!
Posted by Dr. El - December 21, 2010 - 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 - 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 - March 31, 2010 - Business Strategies, Personal Reflections
Last week I had the pleasure of attending McKnights free Online Expo, my first virtual conference. I registered in advance for the event, which can still be accessed at the McKnights website. When the conference day arrived, I logged onto the site to see a conference hall up on my screen, complete with “rooms” to enter to listen to speakers and visit product reps, who were available for a chat. There were also opportunities for networking with other attendees who were attending the session live.
One of the benefits of the online conference was that I could fit it into my busy schedule. I listened to the session I most wanted to hear — Margaret Wylde’s talk on Getting from Satisfied to Very Satisfied Residents — in my kitchen while preparing food for my slow cooker dinner. Research by Dr. Wylde’s group finds that the most crucial element of resident satisfaction is their customer service experience. Residents and families are most satisfied if they are treated in a “positive, warm, and genuine” manner, and only those that are “very satisfied” refer contacts to their community.
I listened to Peter Kress discuss new technologies over lunch with a colleague the next day. While, for me, part of his talk was preaching to the converted, he described many exciting prospects for using technology in nursing homes. Some of them were related to improved work flow for staff members, such as having Care Plan goals literally on hand while working with residents, and some related to resident quality of life. I was particularly taken with the idea of Virtual Travel for residents. Just as I was transported into a conference hall, residents could virtually travel around the world while sitting in their recreation groups. Paris, anyone?
Posted by Dr. El - February 10, 2010 - Personal Reflections
I find it challenging to tell my residents I’m going on vacation, though I’m better at it than I used to be. I like to go to fabulous places, and they’re stuck in the nursing home. I know I need to “recharge my batteries,” as I tell them, and I’ve learned a few things along the way.
My travels can be a tool for reminiscence, discussing places they’ve been.
We can address choices they’ve made, work through regrets, and celebrate successes.
We can find ways they can make smaller trips, such as attending activities, going out on home passes, or joining peers on recreation department outings.
I’ve learned there are no guarantees in life, and if I want to travel, I need to do it while I can.
When it’s my turn, I’d rather be sitting in my nursing home room missing the things I used to do, than regretting the things I never did.
Posted by Dr. El - January 5, 2010 - Personal Reflections
In my May 10. 2009 post, I mentioned I’d decided to stop dying my hair. After reading Henry Alford‘s book, How to Live: A Search for Wisdom from Old People (While They Are Still on This Earth), I started thinking about the message I was sending my patients. Almost all of them are in their 70s, 80s, and 90s, and I’m trying to help them to be comfortable with aging and the phase of life they’re in, but I was hiding my own aging. Dying my hair no longer felt right to me.
I’ve been letting out the silver for the past 8 months and the reaction I’ve been getting is interesting. Some people (mostly women with dyed hair) recoil in horror, some tell me I’m brave and are curious about my choice, and some of my patients are cheering me on and giving me beauty tips.
For me, the hardest part was getting past the phase where I looked like Paulie Walnuts from The Sopranos. Now that it’s obvious I’m growing it out and not just becoming lax with my self-care, it’s more bearable. It helps getting awesome haircuts from Stacey Lyn Weinstein of
Loft 26 in Manhattan. Here are some mid-process photos just before and after my salon appointment with Stacey in September. I’ll post about this again after my next appointment.
Posted by Dr. El - September 22, 2009 - Anecdotes, Personal Reflections
I tend to think of myself as an 85-year old woman, sitting in my nursing home room, reflecting back on my life. It’s an occupational hazard, but one I’m happy about. I take the long view of things, and have embarked on adventures now because I don’t want to be regretful later. The hours I’ve logged talking to old folks, my teachers, have made a huge impact on me. Some people are inspirational, some are cautionary tales, but I learn something from everyone with whom I come into contact.
For me to be a cool old lady, there are certain things I’d like to have accomplished by the time I reach my 85th year, or at least to have tried my darnedest. I’d like to have maintained a good marriage and to raise my child to become a happy, decent, confident person. I hope to show up for the important people in my life without giving myself away. I’m going to try to keep myself in shape and looking good “for a woman my age,” whatever the age, and to feel comfortable with the age I’m at. I’ve traveled quite a bit, but traveling even more would make me cooler. I want to publish at least one book, a goal I’ve had since I learned to read. I’d like to spread the word about what I’ve learned working in nursing homes so when I move into one, I can live the difference I’ve made.
Posted by Dr. El - May 10, 2009 - Personal Reflections
I’d always wanted to dye my hair red, but had been too afraid of doing it until I began my nursing home career. Seeing residents at the end of their lives and young people suddenly disabled, their lives changed forever, caused me to question my cautious approach to even minor decisions. With a few gray strands beginning to show, I started with a rinse, changed my color multiple times, and settled on a permanent “fire red” that was brilliant in the sun but more subdued by the light of the nursing home.
Now, many years into long term care, I’ve decided to let myself go gray. Or at least see what’s under there. While keeping a box of fire red in the closet. Upon reflection, perhaps my dive into hair color was motivated at least as much by the fear of aging as it was by a sense that I had to take chances and live life while I could because, well, you never know. On the other hand, maybe showing the gray is another way of taking a chance.
