Tonight's visit was pretty normal. I got to the "Happy Place" nearing the end of the dinner shift. One of the angels (caregiver) was sitting between Gary and Janie and feeding them both. There was not really a space for me so instead, I let the angel, Jorge, continue to feed Gary as I sat across from them and observed.
The Mayor was also at the table and in rare form. He was picking on Jose by insisting that Jose was really taking portions of the pie rather than feeding it to the "tourists". Jose and I had a good laugh while he continued to feed the two residents.
Gary had very little reaction tonight. No smiles, no frowns, just eating and feeding. He did reach for his own spoon and fed himself blueberry pie. He had difficulty chasing the pie around the plate so Jose helped him.
Jose told me that he was on duty this afternoon and his job when he arrives is to make sure his residents are clean and changed. Today, he had another male helper and said that when they were helping Gary, they explained to him that they would perform hygiene. Gary said okay and proceeded to stand up by himself. They let him do what he could do. His muscle strength is still there. Overall, Jose feels Gary is doing well and he is always cooperative.
I sat there for awhile and realized I was hungry. So, I kissed Gary goodbye and asked to be let out of the unit. I stopped to pet "Buddy" the Assisted Living Dog and proceeded to the garage. As I got to my car, there was a man in scrubs getting out of his car. He asked if he could park where he did and I answered to the best of my ability. I asked if he was new at Sunrise. He indicated that he worked for a Hospice agency and he was there to admit a patient. I told him that I was thankful for his work. He smiled and moved on to the unit. As he turned around, I caught a glimpse of his Angel wings.
NIce
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