(no subject)
So, I just re-read my blogs on myspace since i have so much to do... and i stumbled upon the following excerpts. what runs through my mind is how i can't believe i did that for so long, 40+ hours a week for many, many, awful months. i applaud myself for getting over that period of my life. congratulations, dana, on finding a nice job.
Friday, August 10, 2007
adventures in human services
i've been assigned to this client and have been doing staff training with care givers to work with her. she has totally strange behaviors and the ones i targeted were:
1) darting/escaping
2) smearing BM or bodily fluids (saliva)
3) dumping liquids
4) shredding clothing
5) putting objects or clothing in toilet
6) aggression (pushing)
On a typical day, she comes home and runs down her apartment building's hallway, up the stairs, and down again to where she throws her shoes in her neighbor's closet, then goes into her unit. She will change her clothes about 10 times in an hour, and use the bathroom about 20 times an hour. But today.... I got lucky.
I see her pushing like she is trying to poop as she is sitting in her chair. She puts her hands down the back of her pants and brings poop covered fingers across her shirt which becomes smeared with brown. I am shouting, "No! Don't, stop!" to no avail, as she continues scooping the poop out of her pants, flinging it on the floor, running down the hallway and into her room as chunks of poop follow in her footsteps. She goes into her room to remove her pants and begins to spread the poop all over her legs and rub it onto her feet like it's lotion. I seriously can't believe I am seeing what I am seeing and scream, "GET IN THE BATH!" She obeys, poop still falling in chunks along the bathroom and hallway floor. I get the shower head, adjust it to full blast and start spraying the poop that's smeared all over her body into the drain. Another staff member and I spend the next hour washing poop stained clothes, bleaching surfaces, and searching the dark carpet for hidden chunks of poop. After the whole ordeal I am slightly disgusted, but amazingly pretty well adapted to this- for lack of better word, shit. I only comment how it was so monkey-like and that I am so excited that next week is my last at this job.
Friday, August 10, 2007
adventures in human services
i've been assigned to this client and have been doing staff training with care givers to work with her. she has totally strange behaviors and the ones i targeted were:
1) darting/escaping
2) smearing BM or bodily fluids (saliva)
3) dumping liquids
4) shredding clothing
5) putting objects or clothing in toilet
6) aggression (pushing)
On a typical day, she comes home and runs down her apartment building's hallway, up the stairs, and down again to where she throws her shoes in her neighbor's closet, then goes into her unit. She will change her clothes about 10 times in an hour, and use the bathroom about 20 times an hour. But today.... I got lucky.
I see her pushing like she is trying to poop as she is sitting in her chair. She puts her hands down the back of her pants and brings poop covered fingers across her shirt which becomes smeared with brown. I am shouting, "No! Don't, stop!" to no avail, as she continues scooping the poop out of her pants, flinging it on the floor, running down the hallway and into her room as chunks of poop follow in her footsteps. She goes into her room to remove her pants and begins to spread the poop all over her legs and rub it onto her feet like it's lotion. I seriously can't believe I am seeing what I am seeing and scream, "GET IN THE BATH!" She obeys, poop still falling in chunks along the bathroom and hallway floor. I get the shower head, adjust it to full blast and start spraying the poop that's smeared all over her body into the drain. Another staff member and I spend the next hour washing poop stained clothes, bleaching surfaces, and searching the dark carpet for hidden chunks of poop. After the whole ordeal I am slightly disgusted, but amazingly pretty well adapted to this- for lack of better word, shit. I only comment how it was so monkey-like and that I am so excited that next week is my last at this job.