War an outlet for a potential bad boy...diary

1965....Turning 16, the struggle to be a grownup

Spring 1965:

Walked home from school today.  I quit, which pissed my dad off and my mom wasn't much happier.  Dad asked me what in hell I thought I was going to do now.  Told him I plan to join the Army, go to Vietnam, help my country win a war.  The look on his face said it all; he looked at me like I was some dumb kid.  I'm not, I want to be treated as an adult.  Don't they get it?  I hate school and I know the only way to see the world is to join the Army.  After a long talk, Dad finally agreed to go with me to see the Army recruiter.  I was hoping he'd come around.

A few weeks ago I talked with a couple old classmates at school.  They came in dressed in their army uniforms and man, what a crowd they drew.  Those uniforms look cool and all the kids hung around them like bees around honey.  I liked that, especially the girls they attracted.  something about a uniform all the girls seem to like.  The admiring looks from the guys seemed pretty cool to me too.  I asked them all sorts of questions about Vietnam, the Army and if they liked it.  They said they did and planned to go back to Vietnam in about 30 days.  

I listened, as a kid, to my dad and my uncle talk about the war.  My uncle is so full of stories, interesting stories and he makes the Army seem very interesting.  I made up my mind, a long time ago, I wanted to join, get out of Indiana and see more of the world.  Hell, the Army will pay for it and I'll learn something too.  Thanks Dad for coming around.

Nursing home diaries

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I want to touch more on what to expect as a Social Worker in a nursing home.  The latest book by an author who mostly covers rules and regulations, barely scratches the surface about the personal toll the job takes on Social Workers.  My books cover that subject.

The rules and regulations, except for trying to keep track of Medicare and Medicaid fraud, are bogus anyway.  Yes, examiners on the state and federal levels should make sure people living there are safe from harm, but most rules imposed by government guidelines are bogus.  Why?  Well governments, when faced with a public outcry about how 'Mom', Grandma, or Grandpa or Dad, is treated is usually met with a government response of 'Let's throw money at the problem to fix it, or let's just make impossible rules, to fix it.'  The government agencies are hoping rules, rules, rules, will somehow solve the problems.  Governments swing too far in one direction or the other.

In reality what in hell does it matter if my clothes in my closet are regulated and measured so as to be 'just the right' distance from the closet ceiling?  Why should nursing homes be run on the Medical Model without question?  Do we all want to be living in a damned hospital in our later years?  Why in hell do they need to use industrial washing machines and dryers just so I cannot have anything nice because those damned machines ruin all my clothes?

Why does staff feel the need to talk to the elderly as if they have now returned to the age of 3, especially if they are alert and oriented as you and I are?  

The Biggest question of all is:  Why in hell does staff pass themselves off as the 'experts' on elderly?  Experts on what they like, their sleep patterns, their eating habits and worst of all, what they think the elderly need?  When you attend a care plan meeting and some nurse says: "Well this is normal or not normal"  Bull shit!  Even doctors and your best scientists have hardly a clue about what happens when we grow old.  Know why?  Because most people have never before, in history, gotten to live as long as we do now.  Medical science now helps us live longer, but in the past, we didn't and therefore they had no subjects in large numbers to study.  Medical science helps us live longer, but have, as yet, figured out what to do with us when we do get old.  Stuffing us in nursing homes so we can be studied like lab rats is a good thing?  If a person's quality of life is gone, it's simply prolonging their agony, but nursing homes see it as prolonging their paychecks from Medicaid and Medicare as long as faint hearts beat.  Aren't Social Workers supposed to be agents for change, helping to make life better for their clients, not lackeys running errands in some corporate run human warehouse?    Food for thought.

Nursing home diaries

                           Vices?  LOL  The elderly should enjoy every second of life.  Beautiful lady.



First week:

Few people want to work in nursing homes and even fewer have any desire to live there.

Halloween ah yes, activities department asking us to wear costumes.  I love it, I bought a witch hat because I don't want to run the halls with full blown costume on.  Too hot, too itchy. 

Walking past one sweet lady who lives here, I ask her if she is going to be handing out candy in the dining room this evening when the kids come visit.  "Oh no, Dear."  She says.  "I don't like children."  This lady is 90 and I smile, it's her prerogative to 'not like children' at her age.  At least she's honest.  

I love the people living here.  They make the most of their situation.  I'm not so sure I could.  They are a lot of fun to talk to because for the most part, they have a great sense of humor.

The administrator calls me to her office and tells me to please go tell a resident he cannot have a refrigerator in his private room.  What the hell?  It's his room he shares with no one.  Private rooms cost a big buck anyway and I think wanting a small fridge is not asking for gourmet meals or anything.  Although the amount of money people who live here pay for the rooms, they should have them.  Mostly they get sandwiches.  Many complaints lately about those, day in and day out, too.  I go talk to the fridge guy's wife.  She gets hot under the collar and asks to see the administrator.  I point her in that direction.  I will catch hell for that one, the administrator hates to deal with families.  Why in hell she chose this field is beyond me.  But it's the end of the day, tomorrow is another day and I'm sure I'll get trounced for making the administrator deal with a family member.  

I place my witch hat in my bag and head for the door.  I have a sudden impulse to offer the witch hat to the administrator.  LOL

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