Abbey
Spork Queen
I don't even know where to go with this thread other than what is going through my mind a million miles an hour.
I am humbled.
I just spent the last 2 hours at a group home for adults with varying difficulties. As much as it was rewarding, it was also painful to watch. There are 8 'clients' there that are receiving possibly the best care anyone could give. Their guardians are saints.
I came in with a full turkey dinner looking for satisfaction that I did something nice. It was nice, but it was so much more of a learning experience.
I watched Todd, a 45ish man, woof down his food in record time. Then he went to build his large legos. This is a problem as Todd only does that on Sundays. He was confused as there was football on so he thought it was Sunday. He systematically put up color coordinated colors of towers then tore them down one after the other. Todd does not talk. The staff is worried as when he wakes up tomorrow it will not be Monday and there will be problems. He is an adult with severe Austism.
Then there is Betty. Betty is about 60. I'm not sure of her issues, but she is not playing with a full deck. She was SOOOO delighted as I brought her a new pair of jammies. mother in law hooked me up on that. She promptly put them on and every 10 seconds was crying because she got new jammies. Hugs, hugs, hugs. She brought out photos of her family. She was very upset that she didn't get to see her brother on Thanksgiving. She's kind of like that person that is somewhat aware of what is going on around her, but not really all there. Hard to describe.
Adam. He visits me at my work several times a week so he recognized me. He has Down's Syndrome and says 'hi' ALL THE TIME. He's absolutely adorable...maybe 40. Well, Adam wanted to sit on my lap. No, no. And, he wanted me to feed him. No, again. He can do it himself. Then you get tears when you force them to be independent.
Sara. She is about 60. No one has ever made a diagnosis, but she just is a robot. She has never uttered a word...just goes through the motions of the day. She ate well, cleaned her dishes, then went to sit on the couch. That's it.
The other that struck me was Michael. Michael is 20 young years old. He was in an awful motorcycle accident with severe brain injuries. He can't feed himself and has not talked in the last year. He looks like a ghost. I don't think he knows there is a world going on around him. They fed him a few bites, then walked him back to bed. What a life.
I ended up taking a Christmas wish list that the staff had been compiling and hope my work will follow through. Such simple things. Socks, jeans, etc. I'm pretty sure they will.
So, I sit back on this Thanksgiving day and thank God for what I have been given and hope I can give back to others. I watched these caretakers and was amazed by their compassion. I'd be in a pool of tears. Somewhere they have families that have either written them off or are tired of the grind of dealing with a disabled person. I am so proud of my mother in law for doing this job and asking me to join in their efforts.
As Random Deb comes in, I'm thinking of all kinds of things. I bet they'd love to see kids. I bet they'd love to pet a dog or cat. I bet they'd love to bake cookies.
Once again, I've found the true meaning of a holiday.
Abbey
I am humbled.
I just spent the last 2 hours at a group home for adults with varying difficulties. As much as it was rewarding, it was also painful to watch. There are 8 'clients' there that are receiving possibly the best care anyone could give. Their guardians are saints.
I came in with a full turkey dinner looking for satisfaction that I did something nice. It was nice, but it was so much more of a learning experience.
I watched Todd, a 45ish man, woof down his food in record time. Then he went to build his large legos. This is a problem as Todd only does that on Sundays. He was confused as there was football on so he thought it was Sunday. He systematically put up color coordinated colors of towers then tore them down one after the other. Todd does not talk. The staff is worried as when he wakes up tomorrow it will not be Monday and there will be problems. He is an adult with severe Austism.
Then there is Betty. Betty is about 60. I'm not sure of her issues, but she is not playing with a full deck. She was SOOOO delighted as I brought her a new pair of jammies. mother in law hooked me up on that. She promptly put them on and every 10 seconds was crying because she got new jammies. Hugs, hugs, hugs. She brought out photos of her family. She was very upset that she didn't get to see her brother on Thanksgiving. She's kind of like that person that is somewhat aware of what is going on around her, but not really all there. Hard to describe.
Adam. He visits me at my work several times a week so he recognized me. He has Down's Syndrome and says 'hi' ALL THE TIME. He's absolutely adorable...maybe 40. Well, Adam wanted to sit on my lap. No, no. And, he wanted me to feed him. No, again. He can do it himself. Then you get tears when you force them to be independent.
Sara. She is about 60. No one has ever made a diagnosis, but she just is a robot. She has never uttered a word...just goes through the motions of the day. She ate well, cleaned her dishes, then went to sit on the couch. That's it.
The other that struck me was Michael. Michael is 20 young years old. He was in an awful motorcycle accident with severe brain injuries. He can't feed himself and has not talked in the last year. He looks like a ghost. I don't think he knows there is a world going on around him. They fed him a few bites, then walked him back to bed. What a life.
I ended up taking a Christmas wish list that the staff had been compiling and hope my work will follow through. Such simple things. Socks, jeans, etc. I'm pretty sure they will.
So, I sit back on this Thanksgiving day and thank God for what I have been given and hope I can give back to others. I watched these caretakers and was amazed by their compassion. I'd be in a pool of tears. Somewhere they have families that have either written them off or are tired of the grind of dealing with a disabled person. I am so proud of my mother in law for doing this job and asking me to join in their efforts.
As Random Deb comes in, I'm thinking of all kinds of things. I bet they'd love to see kids. I bet they'd love to pet a dog or cat. I bet they'd love to bake cookies.
Once again, I've found the true meaning of a holiday.
Abbey