Kindness Matters

Visited my friend Barb in the rehab she is in....a post easter basket with some eggs and tulips to cheer her.   But the sadness is so evident in her depressed spirits.  Even though she is in one of the better rehabs, she still is largely left alone and many of her needs ignored or not heard.  Today she said they make her move too fast in the morning and it hurts her. So I got a pen for her white board and wrote her name and that she had  surgery recently on her left leg and that she had a torn left rotator cuff and to please move her slowly and gently.  I talked to an aide....but these are issues the entire staff should be aware of .  The meals they bring her she often can't have due to salt restrictions or are too hard to chew due to her teeth and gum issues.  Things which really could be addressed with a minimal amount of attention , but they are not being paid attention too.  Everyone in a rehab really needs an advocate...which a family member should be, but her son is not really there for her.   It makes me  very heavy hearted and sad.  I know I can only do so much and it's really not near enough.  I encouraged her to let them take her out to the dining area for lunch...she doesn't want to go because she says they just forget about her and leave her there forever.  Her call button is only in her room and her voice is very soft.  I told her to drop a plate and make it crash to get heard....she smiled and said "I knew you'd have an answer".  :)   Depressing situation.  Tomorrow I'll bring some pudding or tapioca that is soft and she said she could eat that.   Rant over...just depressing.
     We go to see cirque de soleil this after noon and I'm looking forward to that a lot!!  A belated birthday gift from R.  Weather very fickly here still with yesterday being stupendous...today windy and rainy and overcast.  Rump continues to sign devastating executive orders that take away more protective regulations and more human services.  I hope France doesn't follow suit.