How important is talking to and connecting to one another in our society?
Think about it. If there were no conversations, no exchange of ideas, or if the human race did not show interest in or care about one another the Earth would be a boring planet inhabited by a bunch of selfish human beings. There would be no scientific, technological, or medical discoveries to help the human race evolve. We'd be a planet of cavemen fighting and clubbing each other over the head for food and water. Communicating in grunts. How attractive.
How important do you think talking to someone with a disability is? People with disabilities are ignored all the time. The more severe an individual's disability is the more likely they are to be ignored when they are in a group. What could they possibly contribute to a conversation?
How important do you think is it to have a connection and to be able to have an open dialogue with the people who care for those of us with disabilities?
How important is it that the caregiver and the client listen to and respect each other?
How important is continuity of care to a person with a disability?
I am not going to give you an answer. I want you to think about each question. I want you to think about how you would feel if you had caregivers and some of them treated you like you were just a body.
How nervous might you be if a new staff member was starting and they have never worked with you before? They have never assisted someone in using the bedpan at night? The administration moves the staff around. Clients have no say. That's weird because we live here We have to interact with the staff. The administration does not.
I was in the hospital overnight in 2019. The nurses talked to me, they checked on me, and, if they got a call on their cell, while in my room, they did not answer it. Their focus was on me, my needs, and what they could do to make me comfortable. I asked one of the nurses if I could live there.
I want to thank the SC for taking me with her, while she ran errands, for the past two weeks. We talked and laughed. I felt normal. I felt like a person.
I want to thank any staff member who takes the time to talk to me. To listen to me. The staff who does not have their noses buried in their cellphones. Thank you for your help. Thank you for showing compassion toward me.
These have been the most difficult four years of my life. All I really want is for God to call me. I want to spend Enternity on the fluffiest cloud ever. Until then I am proud. I am making it, I am surviving. I am not giving up. That's what having a disability is all about.
FYI: The new overnight staff person is awesome. Very kind. She knows her stuff. She does not want me to worry. Change can be good. #learningandgrowing
Communication is everything to me.
And, it's free
