Entry 13:
YAY!!!! My nursing home clinicals are over!!!!! it's not that I don't like the elderly or anything...I love old people...but The environment is just not for me. It's not what I want to do. After IV therapy, I get to work at the hospital so I am really excited. I am really tired now so i will write more on this post later.
Entry 12
What I hope to be like at age 85
After spending two days a week for almost a month working at a long term care facility, I have learned a lot about what I will be like when I am older. Not just older…but elderly. I have had a chance to put myself in the shoes of the residents I am caring for, and have also had quite a bit of input from the same residents on this very subject. So here It is, me at 85.
Hopefully by age 85, the thighs, breasts, wrinkles and cellulite that I had surgically enhanced or repaired in my 50’s are still looking good, and if not, I will have a lifetime supply of Oil of Olay and vitamin E serum in my closet. Oh, and I have to have my facial set in there, facelifts only last 5 years. I will definitely be doing “The strut”, as one resident calls it when I walk, but I would have clothes on, unlike some people. If I was naked, the community would have to be a nudist colony or it would be illegal, and you can only run so fast with a walker. Speaking of running fast and walkers, I think I would also be somewhat of a cranky older person. I could hit someone who is bothering me or trying to wake me up with a stick and run as fast as I can. When I got caught, I could pretend to have multiple personalities and be really sweet. The whole “would you like a piece of candy, hun” kind of thing. Also, I think on days when I feel a bit silly, or maybe just lazy, I could mismatch my clothes, just for fun. Green pants with a sky blue shirt. Pink shoes with yellow socks. Who cares! What other time in your life after the age of 5 can you get away with something like that! Hey, It worked for great, great grandma D!
One of the perks of being me at 85, is that you still might be in the honeymoon phase of your marriage. Not just because you love one another and are happy to grow old together, but because you are actually newlyweds. The nurses better be knocking on our door, because it’s like they say….If you don’t use it you lose it….and no one wants to lose that. Another perk is that if you don’t want to hurry about something, you don’t have to….you can always blame it on the fact that as you get older, everything slows down. This is especially handy when it comes to driving. If the person behind you starts getting road rage, go 2 miles an hour with your blinker on just to make them mad. Then when they go to pass you, speed up to at least 5 over the speed limit so they know you have still got it. And lets not even talk about the acceptance of bodily functions!
In all honesty, all of these things are all good and well, But the most important things I hope to have when I am 85 are my basic needs met, health and happiness. With these three things, you have just about everything you need. A lot of people are not blessed enough to have these things, and anyone who does is very fortunate!
