2017 October 22, Sunday

Breakfast: Flavoured yoghurt and mashed prunes, Kellog’s cereal in those little boxes, porridge (badly cooked and gluggy), toast, and sometimes crumpets and/or raisin toast, tea or coffee.  I asked for and get scrambled eggs as a doctor’s order.  

This morning’s breakfast was marred by the daily screaming performance by a resident J, whose room is close to the dining room.  J was injured in a car accident and came to live here in the home, and after arriving had an accident and broke her arm badly.  The arm has not healed well and she cannot use it.  She is confined to a wheelchair and/or bed.  Each morning she has to wait for two carers to get her up for the day.  Rather than be patient, she screams and yells Help me, somebody help me! repeatedly, very angrily, along with a monologue of deprecations and accusations regarding the carers not coming to help.  

We cannot go and help.  Apart from the fact that most of us are physically unable to help someone else, we are discouraged from helping other residents as it could put us at risk; we could hurt ourselves helping someone else.  So we sit at breakfast and listen to J screaming every morning. 

Naturally, the carers are aware that she needs help.  She is on a list of people that need help every morning; it is not that she is ignored and left without help.  The carers need to take one at a time and some must wait longer than others.  There is always a shortage of carers to do the job.  

My view on this is not sympathetic.  J is angry about her situation.  Fate has taken her from her life and left her disabled and helpless in a nursing home.  But she is not helping herself here.  Screaming like this will only get her less attention from the carers - they will leave her till last because she is so unpleasant to deal with.  And being angry about one’s situation doesn’t help, either.  I could get angry about being one of the youngest in the nursing home but I don’t.  It’s not anyone’s fault.  

J continued her tirade even after the carers had gone to get her up.  I could hear the carers talking calmly to her and her very angry replies.  Not conducive to good service.  Surely she should know by now - she has been screaming like this at least since I came 18 months ago - that this has not done her any good and she should give up and save her breath?

I had an egg milkshake followed by 2 slices of barely toasted white bread and ginger marmalade (my own jam).  I have stopped drinking their tea, and had a drink of water in my room.  D