Proper21BPentecost18, September 27, 2015, Sullivan Park Care
Center by Annette Fricke
I imagine
that Jesus had a lot of disappointing moments with the disciples. Here they are again when they come back from
a mission trip, not gleefully rejoicing that people are out doing works in
Jesus’ name, but trying to stop them because they were not following Jesus in
the same manner that they thought they should.
Critics abound wherever we go.
This isn’t right and that isn’t right.
This shouldn’t be what it is. You
see this behavior inside churches and outside them. Some people have a more open view of people
whose opinions are different from theirs and others would have us fit in their
boxed in idea of doing it right. I took
five days off from work and during those five days, I was asked to come in to
work on two different days. Some people do
not like the fact that the vacation list isn’t even consulted. I have stated many times over that I preach
every other month and cannot come in for a day shift on those Sundays. The second day I was asked to come in the
message left on my phone indicated that someone was needed to stay till after
dinner until “things settled down.” What
that meant was still left for me to discover.
I returned to work Wednesday to find out that the state was there to
address complaints, three of them about the floor I work on. In addition to that, aides from the Atrium
were to work with us until they were certified.
They had failed to meet the deadline of transitioning from registered
nursing assistant to certified nursing assistant within 120 days because they
were unable to schedule taking the written and skills tests required for state
certification. At least three of my
co-workers were now working in the Atrium.
The issue on our assisted living floors that came up in conversation
Thursday night was that of kitchen servers and nursing assistants. Who is to serve food and who is to cover the
floor and what happens when residents call during meals? What needs to happen is, like any other
similar level of care facility, the state needs to be satisfied that all is
done according to the specifications dictated by the laws and regulations
concerning assisted living. In skilled
nursing, the aides have to be certified before they are able to work
there. That’s how they get sent to us
and us to them. Requirements must be met
or there will be demands for change and/or consequences. When I first worked as an aide, there was no
such thing as assisted living and if one of our patients who had MS wanted to
get up into his chair, an announcement was made over the loudspeaker, “All
aides to room such and such!” That meant
all of us would go to the first room on the 100 wing, three on each side and
lift him into his chair. For those who
didn’t have control of their bladders at night, we used a rubber draw sheet
that we put in the middle of the bed, covered by a slightly larger sturdy piece
of cloth, and a folded up softer absorbent sheet to go between the legs. A temperature was never taken on the forehead
or in the ear, but was either orally or rectally. What was state of the art
care then is now deemed substandard and probably obsolete.
Today, the
care of residents boils down to two items: Standards and Rights. We have established standards to follow which
include when the meals are served on the floor, how much is served and by
whom. Rights include the right to refuse
any of the standards set forth by the provider in the facility. There is now also a classification known as a
boarding home. Each level of care has
its own set of rules and regulations. The
state investigates complaints made about the staff. The state determines
corrections to be made and whether or not to renew the license to operate. Not every facility has to be identical in its
performance of care, but every facility must meet the requirements of the
state. Facilities who failed to correct
deficiencies can and have been closed down. There is frequent tension between
safety measures and resident rights.
Determining the best course is a challenge. There are many “What if” scenarios. The
process of what is safe, what is not abusive or restraining, being overly
demanding, the best treatment options for the medical condition of each
resident is ever evolving. The dignity of each resident is preserved as much as
possible. Although many residents become
childlike in their thinking and understanding as they age, they are never to be
treated as though they are children. And
although many have similar diagnoses, their individual personalities remain
unique. Even with declining mental
functioning, each resident should be offered activities so that they feel that
they are just as much a part of the community as anyone else. They should also be given the opportunity to
participate as much as possible in the cooperation of care of their bodies
received from the aides. The community
here, and in other facilities in Washington State, functions in similar
fashion. The standards and rights are
designed to balance the relationship between the treatment team and the
resident. In treating the resident
fairly, the relationship between staff and resident moves towards equality and
inclusivity.
As
communities, both residential facilities like this one and churches have
something in common. At each juncture
when someone new comes into the community or visits before accepting residency,
we need to ask ourselves the question, “How do I welcome the stranger, the
newcomer?” “How will I make this person
feel welcome and accepted?” “What behaviors
will I find difficult to accept and where will I draw the line?” Each community has certain values that are
expressed by its members. I used to
teach my staff to not only look for new staff members by whether or not they
would be competent to perform their jobs but how their personalities would fit
with the personalities already on staff.
Personalities have to work well enough together to be able to work as a
team. Team members need to be flexible
to be able to learn new ideas and open to implementing them. If you are part of the community, it is
imperative to operating as part of that community to help build it up and grow
it towards maturity. What can we do to preserve and enhance our community? How can we maintain that tension between core
values and improving the residential atmosphere?
As we
converse with each other on an equal playing field and learn to respect those
who have differing opinions, our conversations should lead us to changes that
will be beneficial to growth. We can
respond in different ways than previously.
We can accept ideas both great and small and see where they lead. Most of all we need to always be aware of whether
our actions are ones of peace, loving relationships, and forgiveness. Everything
we say and do, according to this text should strive to create an atmosphere of
peace. We should abhor violence and
anything that keeps us far from peace.
Our interactions with others should be from a position of compassion
even when we disagree with others’ words and actions. We need to really listen closely to others. Our strength should never smother another’s
weakness. Like a dimly burning wick, we
should shield from wind and provide oxygen.
We should feed and nourish our relationships so they thrive and those
who come from the outside will feel welcome.
No comments:
Post a Comment