Taking care of Geriatric Patient

Wow, is this right? 4 days down the road and it's 2012!!! Damn, time really flies in a blink of an eye. So, what you waiting for – hurry up and finish your resolutions for 2011 before making any new ones for 2012. Ha! Ha! Oh yea, that's what I am saying. As I was telling you all that I might be heading to Straits Quay for the countdown, well, I guess not :'( Will instead have a family dinner with my family obviously (how else is it called family dinner :p)

By the way, today I gain another lesson by taking care a geriatric patient. Wait, you do not know what geriatric means right. . . I thought so! C'mon let us check out what geriatric means.
Geriatric basically means old age. Now what are you thinking when I am saying 'old age'. Yes, I told you earlier at the main title... Basically, I am reading your mind now, cos I know you are wondering who am I taking care of.

Madam Mary T, who is in her 80's I suppose. Well, I forgot to be 'kaypo' (busybody) today. I will tell you next time if I remember to go 'kaypo' about it yea. Ha! Ha! As you have known, I am a student nurse in which it should not be difficult handling a geriatric patient. However, that is all in the hospital settings where there are people giving you a helping hand when you need it.

Oh yes, now you are getting the picture are you not. I was all alone while taking care of this lady. The thing is I am not complaining here but I am sharing! I know you do not believe me :P
Madam Mary is quite a big size person for her age, and considering her a bedridden patient which is totally out of the ratio to my size I am handling her myself.

Like I say, I am not complaining OK! My job was I would say an easy task which is to just feed her according to the time and her menu is basically ready. I have all the things I need and of course to change her diaper as when necessary. Didn't I tell you she is quite big size? Yes, that's my problem here! Yea, I know I learn all the basics skills in college but how come is it difficult for me? That is because as I have mention earlier when working in a hospital setting, you have people to help you but not when you are all ALONE!!!

The lesson learn today is, you gotta learn to be independent and to do things yourself and not to depend on others all the time. Let's just take today as an example, I was all alone with this lady at home and yes, she is nurse on a ripple mattress and she's unable to move at all. So, she slides down of her bed quite frequently and it was really tough to move her back into position.

Thank God for her kind daughters, one came home during lunch hour whereby she's a nurse tutor herself in Lam Wah Ee Hospital (LWEH). She bought me lunch and she handled her mum alone and guess what – her body size is even smaller than me! Gosh, I felt so embarrassed not knowing how to handle Madam Mary. And at approximately 15:30H, her youngest daughter who was a teacher in a private school came home, and she as well taught me on how to lift her mum when she's alone.

Sometimes in life, you just cannot rely on people too much. One needs to learn to be independent and that will help in living up to ones own responsibility. Over the hours spent with Madam Mary, she knew she needed help and she felt like she was a burden and keeps saying sorry over and over again because she thinks that she's a burden to me. However, to me she is not a burden. She was just another person in this world who is sick and needed help and it is my responsibility to help her where I can.

Yes, geriatric patients need your attention and a lot of them out there are being neglected. Yes, old people can be a real fuss to us young ones. Nevertheless, do you realise if without these 'old people' in our life, do you think you are able to survive? Well, the answer to that is a big NO! You are no where without them and that includes me. Therefore, learn another thing which is to appreciate your elders because without them, you will not be where you are right now. Success does not come easy without a proper foundation in which you can only get it from your family. They could spend their time teaching you and to help you build up your foundation, so why not give them back something in return in a simple act by spending time with them.

May God bless all of you out there. Think again – should you start to appreciate your elder! I will tell you YES you should and instead you MUST.