New aides should be given more information about the residents they care for. The only thing they may have been told about me is that I use the sit-and-stand stand lift and I need assistance in the bathroom. Sometimes they need to be given background information. It is up to me to educate them about my CP.
Cerebral Palsy is a disability caused by the brain being damaged or not properly developed. Damage can occur before, during, or shortly after birth. Cerebral Palsy impacts a person's movement, coordination, and balance. In some cases, a person's speech is affected.
New aides tell me to relax when they are dressing me. I have Spastic Cerebral Palsy in all four of my extremities. The spasticity makes my limbs tight. It is difficult to move. A new aide makes me nervous. That makes the situation worse.
When a new aide is helping me out of bed I tell them I do not have balance. They cannot let go of me. I ask them to pull me back on the bed. I do not like to feel that I am sliding off the bed. Feeling like I am falling is just as scary as having it happen. I once told a new aide not to let go of me when my aide was helping me to bed. She didn't believe me. She let go. I fell over on the bed. Maybe she just wanted to see if I was really telling the truth.
I am one of the 17 million Americans who have Cerebral Palsy. It's not a disease. You cannot catch it. It is a disability. It would be helpful if this facility gave new aides more information about the people they care for. I will continue to try and educate the aides who care for me. Some will listen, Some won't. I will keep trying.
I look forward to the day when we won't need to raise awareness. The day when no one will care what someone's disability is.
March is Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month. March 25th is Cerebral Palsy Awareness Day. Wear green to show you support Children and adults with CP.
For more information go to http://ucpsdfoundation.org/
No comments:
Post a Comment