My first encounter with flaccidity. I'll never forget it. The way his arm laid heavy and motionless in my hands, unable to move it if he tried. A massive stroke paralyzed the entire right side of this man's 83 year old body. His wife died only a few weeks ago and he was discovered on the floor by his daughter, who has mental retardation, and her aide. I wonder if she even realized what had happened when she saw him on the floor. I wonder if he now lies in the bed just wishing to let go of this life and join his wife. I wonder if I'll be able to see him tomorrow and set all these thoughts aside so that I can act professionally and move him towards "his goals." Unable to speak, we have to make certain assumptions as to what these should be- sit on the edge of the bed for 1 minute with minimum support, find a way to communicate, transfer to a wheel chair with moderate assistance.
I've always been a big picture thinker. In the past two weeks I've been absorbing all of these parts and have been trying to connect the dots. Trying to make sense of it all. Problem is... shifting focus back to the parts and not just their connection. For example, I need to stop wondering if Mrs. P will ever drive again and remember to bring an oxygen tank with me to her session. It's all the fine details that make a session flow smoothly (or somewhat smoothly). The locks on the wheelchair, the foley, the oxygen cord, the hearing aides, the magnifying glass with the glasses, and the bed alarm. Not to say that the big picture is lost during this. Both the details and big picture need constant attention. My supervisor calls it "hypertasking." Organizing oneself to remember all the little details, the time, the purpose of the session, and thinking about what's next. It's certainly a lot to juggle. But hopefully after some practice, I will be more able to function in this hospital circus.
3 comments:
It's definitely a lot to juggle, but you have all the right attributes to develop some serious hypertasking skills. Some of this stuff will be second nature to you in a month.
wait, is your supervisor midge? the one and only who taught us about supersonic something rather- forgot the actual name for it. well lucky you!
i love reading your posts. sounds like a great time. it is so interesting because we are in such different settings. your posts get me excited for the rehab placement in the fall. but ahamm, psych is crazy fun!
anyhow, i completely agree with midge's comment. you are the epitome of a hypertasker! now go and hypertask already, will you?
I was suggesting that to work in a hospital setting you need to develop your 3D-holographosensosurround system because there's so much to consider, plan for, and take in every time you walk into a patient's room.
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