job – Bri's Own World

I know I lament about my job a lot, but it’s not ALL bad. However, I will be making another list soon…. ten reasons why NOT to work them. For now, I’ll leave my cynicism at home.

NOTE: All these reasons are reasons to be an activities assistant in a nursing home. I’m not sure how being a therapist or a nurse is.

1. Half the time, all you have to do is sit next to a resident and listen to them talk, and you get paid for it.
2. Lots of material for funny stories. I’ve seen old people get into fist fights. Now that’s a conversation starter.
3. Sometimes, there’s a resident that is difficult with everyone but you, and it makes you feel accomplished. I had a lady like that, who was pretty mean to everyone, but I got through to her and she actually liked me.
4. It’s less depressing than working in a children’s hospital. At least the residents here have already lived their lives.
5. There’s always at least one person at each of the activities who just loves whatever you’re doing. Whether it be the little old lady smiling and singing along to gospel music or the lady playing Yatzee, the effect is always gratifying.
6. You don’t have to look manicured all the time. When I go to work, I wear nice pants (dress code), a plain shirt, and comfy shoes. I don’t bother with contacts, makeup, or hair, because the old people aren’t going to complain, and I could care less about what the CNAs think of me.
7. Because I’m not a nurse or CNA, I don’t have to deal with puking, pooping, or anything related to that. If someone is throwing up or their oxygen is running out, I just go get a nurse, because I don’t have the training to do anything more. Ah, legitament excuses.
8. If you’re under the age of thirty, the old people are constantly complimenting you. Every day I go in there, no matter how crappy I look, at least one resident tells me how pretty and thin I am. It’s a definite confidence booster.
9. You can talk as loud as you want, and no one will tell you to shut up, because chances are, the residents still won’t be able to hear you.
10. If you get scheduled to work when they plan to play a movie, you can sit in the back, eat free popcorn, and do your homework.

I am SOOOOO sorry I haven’t been updating. It’s been like two weeks. Ouch. Myyy bad.

In my defense, again, I have been insanely busy. I also got a job as a nursery home slave. The actual job title is “Activities Assistant”, and the actual job description is “helping with activities for old people”. But what I have actually ended up doing with my time is serving nasty looking food, cleaning up the mess afterwards, taking people back to their rooms, and breaking up old people fights.

Yes, you read that right, breaking up old people fights. So yesterday, a fairly belligerant resident in a wheelchair and a usually even tempered old man in a walker nearly got into a fist fight. I’m not even kidding. They were this close. It’s hard to explain without using hand gestures and visuals, but I’ll try my best.

Basically, the lady in the wheelchair was kind of in the way of the door and was waiting for another old lady to get out of the way. The old man was in a hurry and snapped at her to get out of the way. The old lady, who doesn’t like anyone anyways, was not happy. There was another lady near her, near enough so that the old man’s walker couldn’t get through. After a couple more rude exchanges, the old man decides he just wants to get through, so he starts forward and tries to force his way through the two wheelchairs. Obviously, this doesn’t work very well, and his walker got stuck. Now the old lady is cursing, the old man is cursing, and I’m freaking out. It needs to be said that there are a couple nurses standing around, and they all just stand there gawking.

The old lady is now waving her arms wildly, and the old man is about ready to throw some punches. So since the people who are paid to take care of these two look on, I calmly explain to the man that I need to push his walker back a little bit so I can get them both out of there. it takes a couple seconds but finally I get them calmed down enough to push the old man back a minute, get the womans wheelchair out of the way and get to the door, and the conflict is resolved.

Or so you would think. As soon as the only lady is enough out of the way for him to get through, he books it to the door, and as he passes her makes another rude comment I can’t remember. This results in the woman yelling something at him riddled with profanity, which the old man replies to with a “shut up, woman!”, which offends the old lady greatly and causes her to return the phrase of goodwill. I get the man out the door, try to calm down the woman, who yells at another little old lady further down the hall. I’d just like to point of that the nurses were STILL standing there watching this unfold.

Geez. Three days on the job and I’m already doing every one else’s. Guess that doesn’t end in high school.

I’m never going into the medical field.

PS. The title of this blog is the answer an old lady gave when I asked her who the first president of the united states was. (We were doing word games, and that was one of the questions that came up)

Said, ain’t it?

Tag: job

Top Ten reasons to work in a nursing home

ABE LINCOLN!