Is It Me Who Is Nursing ?

Thelma chose her vocation early in life and became a nurse not long after leaving school . She had never though about doing anything else .
She worked long shifts in acute nursing and lived near to the hospital in the city . Her schedule was quite busy and somehow her life revolved in and around her nursing career . She was happy and devoted all her life to nursing
Thelma never married . She never had children .
She had so much to give to the people she cared for in the hospital .

After her parents died Thelma she took some time to consider her future and decided to work in aged care .

Her first year in caring for old people was like learning to sing an old song .
She was getting to know who the residents where and how best to fit in .
Thelma had got to know all the residents at Green Ponds and their funny little ways .
Shirley liked to wander a lot at sundown so Thelma often kept a close eye on her at dusk .
"Shirley let's go and have a dance ."
Thelma would say and invite her to the large sunroom where another resident Brian liked to play piano in the evening .

Brian always asked the same question each night when Shirley and Thelma arrived .

"What did I do today ?
He would say .

"Thelma would always have the same answer .
"You went into town on the bus ."

Brian loved the bus trips even if they just sat and looked at the lake from their seats . It was a day out for everyone .

Frank was another resident who liked to dance and he often joined Shirley around sundown . Oh how they could dance .
Thelma always had to remind Frank about his medication after the dance and so as always he would try to avoid taking his tablets but Thelma would wait and watch until he swallowed them each night before bed .

"I'm not a child ."
He would say as he took his tablets .

The routine was the same . It never changed .

Thelma tried not to get emotionally to clients but the problem was she cared too much for people . So she had to contend with grief and loss quite often .
Nursing the aged was walking between life and death all the time .
She new the difficulties with this but found that by making the last moments for those clients as comfortable and peaceful as possible assisted in the letting go of them when death finally came .
Green Ponds Nursing home was testing and Thelma found the difference between acute nursing and aged care a much more emotionally demanding call on her but she was able to cope ok .
What kept her going was the fact that now she only had a few years to go before her retirement . When she got really tired she kept reminding herself that soon she would have a rest from it all .

During these twilight years in her career she had to learn to sing another song. How can we say goodbye .

After many years at Green Ponds she had got to know every creak , croak moan and groan . She knew where every shadow fell and what was going to happen next . That was until one day things seemed to get harder .
She began to get confused with little things at first .

One evening when she took Shirley to the sunroom , Brian asked the same old question .
"What did I do today ?

Thelma stopped and thought hard for a few moments before answering ,
"I can't remember ."

She should have heard the alarm bells but no . She ignored it

One evening Frank had to remind Thelma about his medication .
Thelma should have seen the signs and made a call but with only a short time until her retirement she brushed it all off as fatigue from being overworked .
She knew something wasn't right because one evening she had packed one of the residents bags .
When she came home from work that evening she looked at herself in the mirror and asked ,
"Is it me or is it them ?
She didn't really know .

Each day a new set of circumstances arose and now some of the other staff members were taking notice . Thelma refused to listen to their advice .

When her eyesight began to fail she never mentioned to anybody . Thelma was not going to give in . She refused to admit she had a problem .
When her behaviour began to change she dismissed and blamed it on her sensory loss . She was becoming very good at making excuses for herself .
When she misplaced keys to the medicine room she blamed it on another staff member . The keys were found in Thelma's handbag but still she didn't want to accept the fact she had put them in there .
After her shift was over that evening something happened to her that was going to put everything into perspective .
Thelma forgot where she lived and found herself driving around in circles for hours . She pulled in of the road and sat there for a while . She had no idea where she was and what to do she pulled a notebook from her handbag and selected a name and number . Thankfully it was the director of nursing at Green Ponds who got the call . Thelma was collected and brought to her home . That evening it all came to a head .
The next day an assessment was made and the guardianship tribunal
was consulted .
Now after a life of nursing a decision was made by the members of the community health team that Thelma was in need of full time care .'
She was certainly going to get the best care plan available and even though it was a big shock to everyone Thelma was now the one who needed an introduction to something she had done all her life .
Thelma was approved and referred into full time residential care at Green Ponds . A lot of the staff were glad to look after Thelma . It was lucky for Thelma she knew some of them because it was hard to say goodbye to a life of nursing but sometimes letting go meant helping others .
Thelma wanted to help all those new nurse at Green Ponds now because the staff at Green Ponds constantly changed . Thelma couldn't keep up with the how many new faces she saw . There was a new team now who were assisting with the duties each day . Thelma had never seen any of them before . She often tried to help them by offering advice in their work . Thelma still had all the skills and wanted to pass some of those on .
The nursing staff were thankful of her help and shared special moments with her in the dementia specific facility .

She was in the best hands possible .

The new nurse came in to say good morning to Thelma and asked did she need anything . Thelma asked ,
"What will I do tomorrow ?

"You tell me Thelma . Came the reply .

Thelma sat there and thought for a few moments and then replied ,
"Well I think I'll leave tomorrows troubles alone . Today there is so much to be thankful for . Don' t you agree ?

"Why yes you are very wise ." The new nurse said .

Thelma replied ,
"Not wise just old and not so frightened anymore .

THE END

By Paul McCann