The Bedbath

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Some care givers tend to have the mindset that a patient that has a very broken body is a burden: not to me. I have a patient who was on her way home from chemo when she got in a car accident that has her bedridden and barely able to speak two words together. When she first got to us she couldn't speak at all, and we were guessing from her facial expressions and slight nods as to whether we were hurting her and what she needed.


Last night I was giving her a bedbath--it took an hour to finish. I had the best time. Being able to spend one-on-one time with a patient, knowing her well enough now to be able to anticipate what she would like, and be able to go the extra mile in lotioning her legs to help the flaking, swabbing out her mouth to prevent cuts etc. was just the thing to remind me why I do this job. I talked to her the whole time, trying to make her smile has become my goal while at work. The song "Just to see you smile" is coming into my head right now, because I have done many things to try to get her to smile, I've danced, told jokes and stories, you get the picture :) I couldn't have been more happy in that moment, even though my feet hurt, I was exhausted, I had been stressing about a lot of things in my life, in that hour I was able to blow it all off and give some of the best care I have ever given.

It thrilled me to be able to know what she was thinking from her expression. Another aide came in with me and was trying to guess what she was communicating, and I knew. She and I seem very similar in personality, and I can't wait to get to know her better. All in all a great week!

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