Going to do it again

I went back and read my past posts. Most of them have no comments or maybe one, maybe two. I am considering reposting some of them now that I have a few regular readers who might not want to scroll backwards. Am I showing too much humility or not enough? If I can figure out how to do it.

Check out this blog

I went to the blog of sd sue and found it really interesting. She has some lovely poems also. She has another blog called SD Sioux Lakota Connections. Click on her sd sue blog. I don't think this one works.

Sometimes a good thing

The comment on Monday through Sunday by sd sue struck a cord. After I commented on that blog, I decided to elaborate on it. People are fearful of nursing homes. Our older generation remembers what nursing homes used to be, a place where you go to die. Like Sue's relative, some people go from wretched conditions to a happy home. In one nursing home a lady was admitted who was literally covered with bed sores. Her disabled husband was trying to take care of her but he needed help himself. Another elderly couple took care of each other but finally had to come to a nursing home, I believe after a welfare check made by social services. They were ambulatory but both somewhat confused and they were really hungry! Her hair probably hadn't even been combed for months, let alone washed. She had it up on top of her hair in a large bun. It took the hairdresser a couple of hours to work that matted hair far enough from the scalp to make room for scissors. She cut it and was able to perm it. That couple did extremely well. They were getting their medications regularly and properly, they were kept clean, had clean clothes, ate regular meals, and had plenty of socialization. They didn't seem as confused either on this regular schedule. So sometimes going into a care facility should not necessarily be the last resort, but one of the first considerations.

For Dr. Seuss fans

If you're a Dr. Seuss fan, try this quiz. Go to www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/29/AR2008022900855.html Don't cheat by looking at the answers first.

Aunt Ada

QOTW was asking about our Aunt Ada on her comment under Lift them up. I thought I'd answer here instead of on a comment.

Aunt Ada showed signs of mental illness when she was a young mother. First she probably was anorexic as she used laxatives and hid food under her plate. At least during a time when she lived with my mom and dad. Ada's mother was pretty fanatic. She made Ada fast and pray for sick chickens, etc. A mother with little kids. There was an occasion where she was running down a street in La Junta I think, yelling and screaming. If she had needed help these days she could possibly have been more independent. They put her in a nursing home a couple of times but she was so completely institutionalized that she acted out and they took her "home". She was in the state mental hospital for 40 years. She experienced it all, electric shock, restraints, etc. There were stocks in the basement of the state hospital. You know, chairs with arm restraints. She got very agitated when I told her that I had seen them one time when some of us went into the tunnel. The tunnels ran underground from the south unit to the north unit. Anyway, she apparently experienced it all. We need to just remember the times when she came to the house for Thanksgiving or Christmas with all of us. My hubby visited her quite often and said she would stand up for herself. That probably got her into trouble, too. Bless her heart. She's now free. On her tombstone we put "Free at Last".

Lift 'em up :>) uu

Reminiscing about working at the state hospital, I thought of an extraordinary woman who worked there. She was a social worker, a tall, lanky single lady from Chicago. She was way ahead of her time, believe me. Remember that this was in the very early 1960s. The women on the wards wore clothing from the clothing bank. Granted, clothing was purchased for them but no one really had "personal clothing". Any personal clothing usually never returned from the laundry. The women did not have bras to wear and many were having pain in their shoulders and neck because of it. Miss C. insisted that the facility provide bras and they did. After the women got the bras, they changed in a remarkable way. They began asking for perms, haircuts, makeup, etc. They held their heads up and even strutted a little. What an amazing thing that was! What a boost to self-esteem! Another story relates to a nursing home which had a male ward and a female ward. The day they admitted the first man onto the previously all female ward, all the ladies, that were able, got their hair fixed, put on makeup, and put on their finest. They were waiting for that man when he got off the elevator!

More Odd People

Jen and her mother have both blogged about odd people or "those" kids. I have known very many such people. I spend a lot of time in nursing homes, mental health facilities, etc. I even worked at the state mental hospital many years ago, though in an office on one of the wards. One day we, the office staffers, were invited to go on an outing with the residents (we called them patients then) to the local zoo. So I went. We were standing around in a large group when I noticed some of the folks walking toward the lion and tiger house. One after another got in line and soon there was a long line of people walking across the park. I went with them (not particularly trained to deal with mentally ill people) and we all looked at the big cats. That was probably 40 years ago and the zoo still just had the cats in indoor cages, not like today where they have places to roam outside. Anyway, I figured it was time to go back to the bus so I started some of them back that way. One man stood there awhile and I wasn't sure if he was one of the group or not. I didn't want to offend someone by implying such, so I just announced in a rather loud voice, "It's time to go back to the bus now." He turned and followed the others! When I think back about this, why in the world didn't some psych tech accompany me? I went with a group to the Air Force Academy one time, too. It's amazing how uninhibited you feel when you know that the public will excuse your behavior because they think you're one of "them". I loved working there and it carried over to my love for other "odd" people.