I used to have a resident that would yell “Nurse! Nurse! Nurse!” approximately 86 times in a 12 hour shift. He would scream it with the same intensity whether he wanted to tell me he was done with breakfast or he had chest pain. Combining that distraction with safety alarms going off from all directions, iv and gtube pumps beeping, and other residents yelling their bloody heads off would often have me questioning my sanity. Why on earth did I pick this job, and why, of all the genres in nursing, did I choose long term care?
Honestly, it’s fun. Yeah, it can “smell like the bottom of a birdcage” sometimes. There’s also a stereotype that nursing homes are depressing and dismal, but I laugh every, single day. Dealing with Alzheimer’s can get exhausting, but being able to laugh and roll with it helps. Being kicked, slapped, spit at, and verbally abused daily by my residents doesn’t change the fact that they are family. They are the 30 children I never had, and they keep me on my toes.
When my 92 year olds tells me sternly: “I don’t like you” and then she changes her tone and says, “I love you,” it makes my little heart smile 💕
