Rehab: Hospital, Jail, Insane Asylum 5

 

 You did not get to choose your roommate. They put you where they wished in what was available. When they took me out of the room with the howling man as an act of mercy, and rolled me to a room far away from him, they told me my new roommate was quiet. By God's grace, this proved to be true. 

     This time I lost my window bed because he was in their first, so I was on the inside toward the hall and our bathroom.  The beds had a draw curtain between to give you a feeling of having your own space. There was a light above each bed, which you could turn off by means of a cord. There was also a TV over each bed on a long swivel arm so you could move it about.  There was a night stand by the head of the bed

with a couple drawers you could store stuff in.

     Across from the foot of  beds were two wardrobe cabinets, one each to hold our clothes and supply of diapers; yes diapers. There was also one chair in the room, we came to loath. tt was too big and always in the way. It was hard to maneuver your wheelchair bass it,

     Anyway, this was our home. You might say it came with maid service.  Our beds were made daily and the floor and furniture was cleaned or dusted each day, and out scape baskets emptied regularly. I call button was by the bedside. I called it a cowbell. It didn't summons a steer, just an aide. 

      The beds had a control so you could raise or lower your head or feet as you wished. See sample menu.

 There was always two choices for lunch and dinner.  Meals were brought in three times a day and the food was very good.  Breakfast was what ever they decided  to serve that day. There was also a anytime menu if you didn't like the choices. That included cheeseburger, tuna salad sandwich, peanut butter and jelly and a few other standard items.

meals come with juice, coffee if requested.  They were full and filling meals. I was fortunately a regular diet.

     Only problem for me is from this ALS. My hands don't work well. I couldn't tear off the sealed lids on juice or even the half-and-half little creamer things. Milk cartons were another stumbling block.  am grateful to those wise who would open those things for me.  Also those who Isn't out for extra sugar or condiments. Meals came with butter, salt, pepper, but they never came with ketchup and such.  I began hoarding any extra I got. I had a drawer full of spare sugar, creamer, ketchup and such. 

      Funny thing. I needed ketchup on meal and I sent a new and young aid out to fetch me some. She was just out of school, nice and very attentive for a young lady. She came back with a packet and set  it on my tray. I thanked her but wondered why the packet was seen and not red. Was this a new brand of ketchup?  picked it up and looked. It was relish!  II could have some fun with that gal over this error. The packet went in my drawer. And another aide got me a packet of ketchup.

     Those packets were a challenge for me as well. I didn't have the finger strength to tear them open.  But one of he aides had given me a nail clipper one day after trimming down my runaway nails. I kept that clipper in my drawer, too. It came in handy for snipping open those packets.