28 August 2015
Friday
I'm back, when
I've really been nowhere at all
After reviewing my
blog site http://behindtheseeyes-john.blogspot.com
and a bit of honest reevaluation, and discovering that I can link the
blog posts to Facebook, I am once again writing to the blog.
and
Since I receive so
little human contact in this facility ( family and friends rarely
come around or call on the phone) and this blog has generated minimal
input from others, I decided to investigate Facebook for a while. FB
does have more immediate feedback, although there are times when even
FB is flat. For awhile I was exploring making movies on my computer
and posting those on FB, but I soon found that when I wanted to (for
the sake of creativity) make videos over a certain minimal length, FB
wouldn't accept them. Free hosting only goes so far.I don't really
want to compete with Kitty videos either.
There is so little
to do here in a nursing home. I really am not rehab material either,
since my condition is not expected to rehabilitate or get better
(that is not the understanding of how MS works). When I first got
here I was once a day having appointments with physical therapy and
occupational therapy. Other than making me tired ( I used to have to
nap in the afternoon for an hour everyday)there were no changes in
the traditional physical therapy sense of demonstrating incremental
positive changes. After a month of daily strapping my feet onto a
bicycle crankset connected to a computer console, while still seated
in my wheelchair, my measured output was the same on the end of the
month as on the first. So Medicaid decided that in the interest of no
medical changes, and fiscal responsibility, to stop my daily bit of
large muscle movement. My concerns about moving my muscles and joints
were discounted. I was told those were not an issue, but if I wanted
they could put me on blood thinners to make sure my circulation would
not be impaired and arthritis medication in case my joints seized up.
I am told that the
CENAs can perform range of motion on my legs daily, while I lay in
bed. Everyone of them tell me how they were trained in how to do this
during their certification classes. The nurses tell me how there is
even an order for R.o.M. daily in my file, but rarely does it ever
happen. There are two CENAs of larger than average size who do R.o.M.
On me, but they don't work every day and often they are too busy
working on staff shorted schedules per administration operations.
When I do get some range of motion applied, my legs and ankles have a
warm glow for half an hour afterward. Its wonderful, I can actually
feel my legs, as if they were a part of me again.
Today, once again,
the facility in its wisdom has scheduled too few CENAs. Last night on
the overnight shift there was only one, today, first shift there are
two. Which meant that there was no CENA that could be spared to
give/supervise my shower today. I am still getting used to only two
showers per week as normal expectations, but when the facility goes
into save-their-cash mode, I am one who gets to feel like a scrunge
ball. Last Spring the facility went through about six weeks of
staffing too few CENAs, consequently I was getting one shower per
week, some weeks none. Bed baths don't count, especially when I can't
scrub my scalp, washing my hair.
I have had a
neighbor, a real prize to have in the room next door. He has some
sort of closed head injury that shapes his behavior in a negative
way. Since the facility hides behind HIPPA laws like mother's apron,
there is no way to determine exactly what is the cause for which
behaviors. He does exhibit some closed head injury behaviors. For
example he refuses to use the call light to request some help, even
though many instances of training for this have occurred. His special
technique is to begin repeating a phrase several times, gradually
reducing the modifier words while ramping up the volume, 'til he
begins screaming as loud as he can. The phrase is repeated quickly as
if no response were expected, there are sometimes added modifiers
inserted of the expletives deleted sort, the type that are often
overused for greater emphasis so often that any emphasis has leached
away long ago. The tone of voice used often contains a mix of angry
frustration and just a touch of fear. This elicits an immediate
response but the CENAs and nurses have grown weary of this
animalistic form of requesting their help. Last night, at three AM,
when there was only one CENA scheduled on the floor. He went off
about something that was worth it to him that it meant all of us
nearby were awakened while he fussed in his usual fashion.
It is now two in
the afternoon, the neighbor is going at it again. Something about
having only one pillow, repeated several times over. Inserting the
fact that he “only has one fucking pillow” and after repeating
that tidbit several more times, he breaks into admonishing no one in
particular to grow up. Repeated several more times escalating in
volume and ferocity ending with shouting, “Grow the fuck up!!”
Now that the incoming shift CENA has responded to him, he is now
pleasantly using his electric razor for the fourth time today. Before
he got the razor, and was shaved by hand by the CENAs, he never
showed a heavy beard before. I think he enjoys the playing-with-toys
feature of the shaver.
For this kind of
care my retirement stipend was claimed by the facility, saying that
this is the amount set for my care by the state, who monitors
medicaid. $738 per month I have been charged for this form of
mistreatment. When I complained about the poor quality food and the
lacking care features, I was told that the state sets the amount. In
a way absolving anyone here from responsibility for such
outrageousness.
I have been a
resident here long enough to have seen several state inspections of
this facility. Always the CENAs are reflecting the attitude of the
administration, saying in hushed tones, “The state is here”,
“they're in the lobby” or “They're on the second floor” with
that tell-tale tone that implies no one is safe, we're all gonna get
swept up in the net. Beware! When I was employed as a county worker
in Lansing, I had many interactions with various state workers from
all sorts of departments. I think the tones of implied omnipotence
toward the state is similar to that given to various federal systems.
Something about the overwhelming greater power of state and federal
systems compared to local operations strikes fear and loathing into
those on the outside of such organizations. The CENAs often said they
hoped the state investigators would come and speak to me. Somehow
there was this unspoken understanding that through speaking with me
the truth about this place would come out. I got the feeling that if
the state would just figure out (through me) what was really going on
around here, then things would straighten out. Many of the CENAs
would seek me out to find if the state had been to see me yet.
Finally during one
inspection that lasted over many days, a state investigator spent a
couple of hours with me, over two days. As a result there have been
no changes. Not one. Showers are still skipped due to lack of enough
CENAs, the food is still lousy, and barely varies. Certain nurses
still maintain that I am getting enough care services, or if I am not
to just speak up and they will look into it. Looking into it means
using tough sounding language but there is no follow through. The
CENAs all know which nurses have any CENA background at all (two or
three, I think) The rest seem to look down on CENAs and distinguish
the work relegated to CENAs as beneath them. These nurses are great
at delegating to the CENAs in a very dismissive fashion. Its easy to
see in person or hear over the two way radios the facility uses.
On one of these
state inspections, as many residents as possible were gathered in the
main floor day room, in which the state inspectors held a meeting to
assess residents satisfaction. Having had prior experience with state
workers, how they too feel trapped in a non-responsive, nearly
intolerable system, they have figured out how to tick through the
list of chores while actually doing very little that can actually be
useful after they are gone. I have seen it happen many times, in
various circumstances.
One state worker
lead the meeting, asking for any comments regarding a list of items
she moved through quickly. At one item, Eight fingered John, raised
his good hand signaling that he had an issue on a certain item. When
called upon to elucidate, John tried with what few abilities he still
had available to him. John struggled and stammered, stopped to find
just the right word, drooled a bit then tried to regain a composure
that had not been available for years. It was obvious that John had
an issue, and it was important to him. He wanted to bring up his
input, but speaking was no longer one of his forte's any more. John
was dependent on the understanding and careful deliberation of others
to get his point before he himself would ever get to it. If you spoke
his thoughts before he got to them he was immediately grateful, it
could be seen on his face. This is often the method that many people
in nursing homes use for communication. It truly does utilize the
other person to effect full communication. It is a special person
that can effortlessly do this with another.
The state worker
showed her mettle as well as her lack of ability to work with the
residents, after John had begun his moment to participate, when it
had become uncomfortably obvious that he was probably never going to
reach a statement on his own, she cut him off saying that we could
come back to this later, at the end of the meeting. You could feel
the energy leaving John upon hearing this. He was ramping up to make
a comment as he had been invited to do. The sense of deflation in the
proximity of him was palpable, it felt like a defeat, probably like a
thousand other little defeats he had sustained prior to this.
It was obvious
that John had sustained a stroke and was nearly aphasic, but not
fully so. His lower lip often hung loose, saliva often pooling onto
his shirt, he never seemed to be able to close his mouth to swallow
in a timely fashion. He often was appreciative when one of the CENAs
or other staff members would deftly use a napkin and wipe the
accumulation from his face, on its way to the gathering puddle on his
shirt. You could sense that in those moments he felt positive at the
small gestures done for him by others that confirmed he was still a
member of the human race, in spite of his limitations.
When that state
worker showed the degree to which she was willing to engage the
residents on the issues on her fishing list, I leaned over to Big Bob
sitting next to me in the back of the meeting room, and said, “
let's wait until everyone clears out after the meeting, to see just
how much John's issue is going to be attended to.” He agreed,
adding that he bet there was not much to show, on her part.
Sure enough,
John's issue was never approached, everyone cleared out and Bob and I
got to the lobby in time to see the state workers gathering together
to walk to their car(s) joking and deciding which watering hole or
restaurant they were going to frequent after such a grueling day,
much like so many other state workers I have known many years ago out
of town on a fact finding mission.
John's issue is
circumstantially resolved, as he died a couple of months ago. His
concerns are now moot. The state inspectors still enjoy power and
status far beyond anything they have earned. The neighbor is once
again using his razor insuring that no stubble has crept on on his
chin since the last time he played with the razor. There are only two
CENAs on staff this afternoon, which means I won't have any
interactions with anyone until dinner is delivered. Right now Pandora
is playing quietly on my cell phone, drowning out the neighbor's
incessant radio tuned night and day to the country station featuring
those Naishvill cowboys in the big hats that all wanna sound like
Tennessee.
Just another lousy
day in Nannyland.