Saturday, May 29, 2010

Certain aides make life bareable for Mom - my thanks to them

Since Mom's been in assisted living (ALF) and now a nursing home, I've found that certain aides make all the difference when it comes to her sense of well being.   At the ALF there were a four aides that really made Mom's life better.  At her nursing home there are a couple that tell me she's special to them. All have the same thing in common: they were firm but patient, spoke to her in a loving yet NOT condescending manner and showed her affection.   The MOST important trait common to all of these wonderful people is this: they realize that old age is hard and have empathy for the condition of these people.  They understand that they are frustrated by an inability to move or breath easily. They realize that people WANT to do things for themselves but the body is unable.  They give hugs and don't make the residents feel rushed even though there are too many people and not enough time.

Don't get me wrong, not all of the aides and staff that deal with our elders are kind and thoughtful; I've seen plenty of jerks but for the most part, they are kind and try to do right by our elders.

No comments:

Post a Comment