Dimple's Discoveries

Today's post is short, but I want to share what happened at work last night. I was caring for a patient who had had a really bad day, therapy had exhausted her, and she was crying when I came in. I held her hand, told her it was okay, sat with her a while, and set some music on to play to help her relax. She called me in later, and said "I need three things: put some cream on my leg, read me this sentence (she handed me the Ensign) ...." and then she stopped. I read her the sentence she wanted, grabbed my gloves, and started to put the cream on her leg. Then she leaned over and said "and third, I want to bear you my testimony." She bore the sweetest testimony, and said things I really needed to hear, it was specific things I had been worried about, and she mentioned them in her testimony. It was the last thing I had expected to hear when I answered her call light, but it meant the world to me. I had also been having a rough shift, it had been pretty bad, and...

Patients often ask in frustration why they are still alive, why they have to suffer through this illness or injury, and I have heard caretakers time and time again struggle with the answer to that question. I don’t have all the answers, but I certainly know one: because sometimes a trial isn’t what you need to learn, as much as what others around you can learn from you. That was how it was with a special patient of mine. This patient had lost her husband a few years prior. She talked about him literally every day, many times a day, and was pretty much in her own world. The trouble with being a caretaker is that you get to glimpse bits and pieces of the patient’s life, but you don’t get the full story. Much like flipping open a random book near the end and reading a few pages but never being able to see how the story began or progressed, we get a little glance and can only wonder at what they experienced, what trials they endured, or what made them what they are today. This sweet pa...

Today I was remembering one of my dearest patients I have ever had, and for anyone who knows me, I LOVE to tell stories about my work, but this patient is one of my very favorite memories, because she helped build my testimony and taught me a lot about life. This patient was one of the very first I ever cared for as a brand new CNA and Med Tech. She had Alzheimer's disease, and she was one of the sweetest women I will ever be privileged to know. I can only remember one time in all the thousands of hours of care that I did for her that I ever heard her get mad, and it wasn't even directed at anyone. She was ALWAYS kind in her conversation with the aides, and for anyone who works in health care you can relate when I say that someone in pain or being cared for isn't always going to be the kindest. She would always say how nice I was or how I was an angel. She had the most beautiful smile. She reminds me of the Rascal Flatts' song "Ellsworth" when it says ...

Dec. 13th, 1/2 hr: I got to the facility today feeling really sad this would be my last time. I have started attaching to these residents, just as I have with my patients at home. I believe that being able to love and attach to your patients is crucial to being the best CNA you can be, but it means more painful goodbyes. The saying is true that says "It is better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all." The trouble with working in geriatrics is that every time you say goodbye, whether it be at the end of your shift or for an extended period of time, you need to be ready to accept the fact that some of those patients might not be there when you come again. Leaving my patients to attend school is always hard, but the beauty of the gospel is that it isn't a permanent goodbye. Whenever we lose someone dear to us, we can remember that it is through our Savior Jesus Christ that we can see them again. Isaiah 25:8 states that "He will swallow up death in...

Dec. 11 th , 1 hr: Today during church I was thinking about how we had gone caroling to the assisted living center last Sunday, and how nice that was, and how I wanted to do something like that again. The only problem with that plan was that my roommate that plays the guitar wasn’t home, so we would be singing a cappella. I was thinking about it, and realized that we could read Christmas stories to the patients. My patients at home cannot read for themselves anymore, and would love being read to, so I took my scriptures and a few Christmas stories and another roommate to the center again. We went through two of the buildings, and read to those who I thought would enjoy it. It is fun that I am starting to get to know the patients, their habits, likes, dislikes, etc. We went to several of my favorite patients in the building, most opted to hear the story of Christ’s birth from Luke 2. It made my Christmas season so special, being able to do something for these patients that they...