Not to Be Forgotten

A resident today became very unhappy, I am still unsure the reason why. I think a big reason it was his birthday and he perhaps felt depressed or forgotten. He has trouble speaking and was struggling to get his thoughts across, as well as perhaps already feeling alone. Not to mention it was a yucky morning weather-wise, although it turned to be a beautiful day!

The resident threw himself from his wheelchair and scared everyone as he tried to crawl towards the door. All the staff ran from their offices to assist. My supervisor, who already impresses me often, spent a long time listening and talking to him, even after everyone else had gone back to their work.

She motioned to me and had me blow up some balloons (thankfully after many weeks I'm finally a proficient balloon maker!) and we sang happy birthday to him. I tied the balloons to his chair and he had the biggest smile on his face.

Sometimes taking just some time from an otherwise busy day can make someone's bad day go better. I've seen this with my supervisor, no matter how busy she is, she puts the residents first. I've tried to emulate that, no matter my to do list, it's more worthwhile in the long run to stop... listen.. and show someone you care.

I am more of a task-oriented person than a people-oriented one, so this has been a very good learning experience for me. I've learned to take the time to try to brighten someone's day. Most times, I find my day ends up becoming better as well!