feb 27 2010
1:00 - 2:10pm
------ carl -------
i visited him first..... he was sleeping when i entered his room but when he heard my voice he opened his eyes..... i found him embracing his stuffed animals, a rabbit and a dog, which i thought was really cute.... it reminded me of the phrase "there's a child in everyone of us".... i asked carl what the names of his pets were he uttered something which i really can't hear so i just nodded and smiled and told him those were beautiful names..... he started talking and again im having difficulty understanding what he's saying sometimes but i dont want to strain him by asking him to repeat what he's saying so again i just nodded and smiled...when he became silent i told him im going to read him a book.... i found a book w/ lots of short stories in travelling and that's what im starting to read for my patients from now on...
------ gracey -------
she was awake when i entered her room and she looked like she's not comfortable because she was twisting and pulling her blanket a lot..... i remember during my hospice volunteer training, they mentioned how dying patients tend to be restless....... anyway, her blanket caught my attention..... it's knitted and the thread colors are really cool to the eyes and and it felt so soft and comfortable! i helped her adjust the blanket when i saw her trying to pull it, that's how i knew the texture..... anyway, i complimented her blanket..... she looked pleased with that and she smiled at me.... i told her i'm going to read to her again, to which i did....
Monday, March 1, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
waking up early
i normally don't do patient visits during work days, specially in the morning but i have some catching up to do and today is the only time i can squeeze visiting in my already crammed schedule...
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feb 23 2010 - 9:00am - 10:00am
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she was asleep. i tried to greet her to sort of wake her up but she didn't budge. i stood there for a bit just watching her and thinking of my first move when she opened her eyes. i said hi again and she just looked at me. she was trying to push the table in front of her so i helped her with that.then i asked her how she's been to which she didn't reply. i told her that it's raining outside, still no response. then she went back to sleep.
c.b was also sleeping when i visited him. i was kinda hesitant to come inside when i saw that his diapers are showing. i wasn't sure if the nurse is not done with him yet. but i braved going inside anyway. i said my usual hi to c.b. but he didnt hear me. i tried again. nothing. i was waiting for him to open his eyes which he usually does when he hears my voice but he's sleeping. i sat there for a bit and just watching him sleep. i can't help but look at his photos and then look back at him. what a difference. in his photos he looked really happy and healthy and the person im staring at right now is a man without a trace of smile. i dont blame him. whenever im sick i seldom smile myself. but he's pleasant to talk with whenever he's up for some chit chats.
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feb 23 2010 - 9:00am - 10:00am
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she was asleep. i tried to greet her to sort of wake her up but she didn't budge. i stood there for a bit just watching her and thinking of my first move when she opened her eyes. i said hi again and she just looked at me. she was trying to push the table in front of her so i helped her with that.then i asked her how she's been to which she didn't reply. i told her that it's raining outside, still no response. then she went back to sleep.
c.b was also sleeping when i visited him. i was kinda hesitant to come inside when i saw that his diapers are showing. i wasn't sure if the nurse is not done with him yet. but i braved going inside anyway. i said my usual hi to c.b. but he didnt hear me. i tried again. nothing. i was waiting for him to open his eyes which he usually does when he hears my voice but he's sleeping. i sat there for a bit and just watching him sleep. i can't help but look at his photos and then look back at him. what a difference. in his photos he looked really happy and healthy and the person im staring at right now is a man without a trace of smile. i dont blame him. whenever im sick i seldom smile myself. but he's pleasant to talk with whenever he's up for some chit chats.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
on photos and closed door
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feb 17 - 5:00 - 6:00 PM
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i visited g.w. my coordinator told me that she's an active dying patient but i was surprised that when i visited her she can still carry a conversation.i was expecting to see her sleeping or non-responsive like anna (my first patient who passed away after my 1st visit).
we talked about the pictures posted on her wall and she explained to me who they are. i asked her if she has a pet because i saw in her profile that she has a dog and she said "no, i just have that one" and she pointed to a dog stuffed-toy. i asked him what the dog's name is and she said she forgot.
after a few more chit-chats i said my goodbye and i told her i'll be visiting her again which she replied with "that would be nice".
when i visited c.b. i was surprised that the door is closed. i tried to knock thinking that maybe a nurse is helping one of the patients inside to change their clothes but i heard no response so i went ahead and opened the door. the first thing i saw is an old guy squinting because i think i woke him up because i opened the door. it was very dark inside. i went ahead and went straight to c.b.'s bed (middle bed). i said hi to carl but i was half whispering because i dont want to wake up the other patients (i might have upset one patient already because the light might have hurt his eyes when i opened the door)... i just sat there only for a bit because it really got a lil uncomfortable. it is dark inside and i dont want to turn on the lights because i'm scared to get yelled at.
feb 17 - 5:00 - 6:00 PM
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i visited g.w. my coordinator told me that she's an active dying patient but i was surprised that when i visited her she can still carry a conversation.i was expecting to see her sleeping or non-responsive like anna (my first patient who passed away after my 1st visit).
we talked about the pictures posted on her wall and she explained to me who they are. i asked her if she has a pet because i saw in her profile that she has a dog and she said "no, i just have that one" and she pointed to a dog stuffed-toy. i asked him what the dog's name is and she said she forgot.
after a few more chit-chats i said my goodbye and i told her i'll be visiting her again which she replied with "that would be nice".
when i visited c.b. i was surprised that the door is closed. i tried to knock thinking that maybe a nurse is helping one of the patients inside to change their clothes but i heard no response so i went ahead and opened the door. the first thing i saw is an old guy squinting because i think i woke him up because i opened the door. it was very dark inside. i went ahead and went straight to c.b.'s bed (middle bed). i said hi to carl but i was half whispering because i dont want to wake up the other patients (i might have upset one patient already because the light might have hurt his eyes when i opened the door)... i just sat there only for a bit because it really got a lil uncomfortable. it is dark inside and i dont want to turn on the lights because i'm scared to get yelled at.
Monday, February 15, 2010
happy valentine's day!
i drove from my place to lansdale and decided to meet a friend of mine for a bit who then drove me to the hospice... after which we went to this local breakfast place called koffee korner...excellent, excellent breakfast...my friend who's a local at lansdale told me that's lansdale's well-kept secret...
anyway....
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feb 14. 9:30 - 10:30
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yeah, it was valentines day when i visited c.b... the first thing i noticed was the heart-shaped balloons on his cabinet.i guess he had a visitor early that morning or the day before that. anyway, he's awake, which is good. my volunteer coordinator gave me a heads-up that he's always usually sleeping i asked him how he is. he can still talk. although it's hard to understand what he's saying sometimes. i also noticed the gold watch on his left wrist. i complimented him for that. he said it's a gift from his wife. from his paper it says there he's a widower and i thought it's sweet that he always wear that watch. he looks really old and frail and i can't help but just stare at him. but after much staring i decided to read him a book. while i'm reading he would sometimes reply back. i think he's confusing me reading to him with talking to him.
note to self: i need to buy a book that describes beautiful scenes. the book im reading for my patients is kinda violent (the lord of the flies)
next is g.w.
g.w was asleep when i went to her room. i tried to say hi hoping she'll open her eyes but unfortunately she didnt. i tried again thinking maybe she just didnt hear me but still no reaction. so i just sat there and just found myself staring at the photos posted on her wall.
anyway....
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feb 14. 9:30 - 10:30
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yeah, it was valentines day when i visited c.b... the first thing i noticed was the heart-shaped balloons on his cabinet.i guess he had a visitor early that morning or the day before that. anyway, he's awake, which is good. my volunteer coordinator gave me a heads-up that he's always usually sleeping i asked him how he is. he can still talk. although it's hard to understand what he's saying sometimes. i also noticed the gold watch on his left wrist. i complimented him for that. he said it's a gift from his wife. from his paper it says there he's a widower and i thought it's sweet that he always wear that watch. he looks really old and frail and i can't help but just stare at him. but after much staring i decided to read him a book. while i'm reading he would sometimes reply back. i think he's confusing me reading to him with talking to him.
note to self: i need to buy a book that describes beautiful scenes. the book im reading for my patients is kinda violent (the lord of the flies)
next is g.w.
g.w was asleep when i went to her room. i tried to say hi hoping she'll open her eyes but unfortunately she didnt. i tried again thinking maybe she just didnt hear me but still no reaction. so i just sat there and just found myself staring at the photos posted on her wall.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
on hiatus but im back
i know, it's been a while...
i was on hiatus to take care of some personal stuff and because i was too busy with work...
i'm supposed to start my visits again last saturday but because of the snow storm i wasn't able to..
it just dawned on me...i started training for hospice volunteering, on feb, 14 2009...it's been almost a year now...wow, how time flies...
i was on hiatus to take care of some personal stuff and because i was too busy with work...
i'm supposed to start my visits again last saturday but because of the snow storm i wasn't able to..
it just dawned on me...i started training for hospice volunteering, on feb, 14 2009...it's been almost a year now...wow, how time flies...
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