I found out one of my patients died today

[basalamant]

Hm, I feel as though I need to share this. I'm a personal carer for elderly people; pretty sick people in their houses living on their own; I give them showers and medications and help them with basic jobs around the house and I sometimes go to their house for 8 hours for a whole day looking after them making sure nothing bad happens, and yeah, I really love this job; I get along with elderly people well because I sure can't stand most people my own age (19); I used to go to a guy that I called Douggie Doug-Man all the time, and he was one of my favourites; the more dementia ridden the patient the more I like them... I just get along with them more... recently I noticed I haven't been getting his work dished to me, which I thought was curious - today I found out he passed away a while ago... which is really upsetting but he was ready at least as he always said to me "I'm ready to go! I just want to sleep and never wake up." and I remember saying to him "when you pass on I'm going to miss you...". Hm. He had big-time dementia and used to tell me of all his world travels (name a country and he'd been there) and end most sentences with "WE HAD A GOOD LIFE! IT WAS A GOOD WAR!" and when I got him breakfast he would shout the names of the food and drink I'd get him; "OATS!" and "COFFEE! SYRUP OF THE GODS!"

Hm, I'm new to this job and he is the first patient I have had that I got close to and has passed away. Just thought I'd share this, I don't usually talk about work to my friends... I don't usually tell anyone to anything in the real world...

I should have made the topic ***I found out one of my patients died today***

Edited June 16, 2011 by basalamant

[quarterflesh]

its not the best job sometimes is it, but it can be very rewarding. i worked on the sunshine coast for blue care with palative care patients who we helped to die in the comfort of there own homes. 9 out of 10 times we would get them home into a portable hospital bed, and we would get a call a few hours later or the next day to come and collect it cos they had died. like you i met alot of funny old people and a few of them made me cry because i got to know them and there family. alot of the things i had seen at work didnt really affect me and i was able to forget about the people who died and just treat it like a job, i would talk with friends who would say eww that job sounds terrible when it really wasnt.

its life and someone has to see it and do it. stick with it mate. maybe one will leave you there fortune one day or something.

[basalamant]

Nice response. Funny about the fortune part! That stuff happens a lot but legality issues come into it D:

Hm yeah I find this job rewarding; sometimes no but most of the time. I don't see anything gross about it though - it's worse working in a nursing home - glad I didn't stick around there too long!!

[incognito]

sorry to hear it brother

unfortunately its a reality of work in the community services industry.

i did my time in palliative care, and man it shocked me to start with. i had NO training, well a diploma in com services, but that doesnt touch on aged care AT ALL. maybee from a management level. Anyways, i was going into peoples places, who had elected to die in their own home, with minimal family support. First day i was dressing fucking wounds ..BY MYSELF. often the clients where instructing me how to do it. Fuck it , it was Baptist Community Care, one of the worst run organisations in the central west. I like you, dig old people. so much wisdom to share. And often at that late age they r through with the fussin' and the fightin'.

Ur love of dementia will lose its appeal when u work with an angry/frightened dementia patient. they r strong as fuck and random. neva turn ur back.

I left after 2 months, as the place was that badly organised, and the split shifts where a nightmare. Even in that 2 months i had multiple clients die, but more oft it was a relief, as the client was that ravaged by dementia, or that incapacitated that the suffering that they and their love ones where enduring was immense. often the family would say to me how much of a relif it was. What did my head in was when id get sent to a home where the client had already died a day or 2 earlier, and their wife or husband would tell me that i wasnt required, amids an emotional breakdown from grief id visited upon the again, then i would be consoling the family. fucked up. i really used to fire it up the so called "co-ordinator" who would then blame someone else. It was always this mysterious asian guy "SUM WUN's" fault,

what i did find was that i could dissasociate from the absolute tragedy that was in my face on a daily basis. I guess when its in front of you and its up to you to deal with it, u just have to dissasociate from ur emotions to get the job done.

Big ups to you mate, the industry needs people who actually CARE. plus being 19 and male (males in huge deand) you could make quite a career for urself, if you are tht way inclined. Its th biggest growth ector in the comservices industry, and will continue to grow. If u can get urself well experienced and qualified (im thinkin aged care centre/retirement village management) in the next few years you will be VERY employable, the industry award keps goin up, and i believe specialists in the aged care field will be VERY well paid. just somethin to think about mun.

be very areful discussing clients with ANYONE, as thats a career ender. respct privacy andconfidentiality, avoid at all costs gossiping about clints to u workmates. and remmber, middle aged female (dare i say it) fellow employees can be fuckin messed up, and will knife you severely if given a chance. No.1 rule from the ge-go in his industry is be PROFESSONAL. there are way to many sloppy aged care workers out there. And be vigilant! if you see a clients human rights being violated which unfortunately is still rife, report immediately to ur supervisor.

ANyways mate big ups to you, aged care needs good, human, professional workers. apply yourself and their are rewards to be reaped. My nephews on the same path. I got him the job at BCC whil i was there, and hes gone on to completehi diploma in ged care services, now he is being headhunted by local retirement villages. he loves in house palliative care to much at he momnt though lol. If your good, the word spreads like wildfire.

Best story i have from the aged care industry is the lady who job i took was fired for jerking of a client in the shower, the taking a card of morph. I shit u not.

mate if i was gonna die id trade all my morph for foaming hand shandys as well!

wow seth, i was typing this whn u submitted ur post. i thought it was "palliative" lol.i enjoyed the job, it as just so terribly managed. like....shockingly managed.

i then moved into AOD, now im in social work. but not on day goes by where for a few minutes im thinkingabout getting back into horticulture. people are so fucking complicated. identifyin nutrient deficiencys is just so muh easier. i just wish i didnt have to work at all!! but theres always wolves at the door with their hands out wanting tha ching ching.

Edited June 16, 2011 by incognito