Extreme Punishment

Sometimes it doesn't just rain, it pours!

We've had so much going on in the past couple of months, we've felt at times like we needed the world to stop spinning so that we could jump off and have a break.

The latest saga here in the Crazy Cave involved our 14 year old daughter's appendix ... or maybe it was her ovaries. Nobody really seems to know for sure. What we do know now is that her appendix will never bother her again and that, when it was removed, the surgeon found evidence of a ruptured ovarian cyst. I've never had issues with my appendix or my ovaries, but they both sound painful.

While she was in hospital, and I stayed with her, the Caveman had to keep the household running for himself and the boys. He was a trouper - he had been the one to be awake most of the night with her when she first went to our local hospital (I was working night shift at the nursing home), then he drove us to the Sunshine Coast the next day to get her admitted to the hospital where they would do the operation. (Our hospital doesn't do them - don't even get me started on the subject of our local area losing the facilities we used to have ... )

One of the jobs he had to do while I was gone was to help our youngest boy complete his homework for the next day. It was a bit of a 'project', not the simple maths and spelling that is usually brought home. With my poor hubby being so tired before even sitting down to help, I did wonder how it would go. Obviously our little man was a bit worried too - and luckily this provided some comic relief for the whole family.

This is the text I received from The Caveman:

He said 'If I don't get this finished, I will get time in the reflection room, which is the third worst punishment in the school behind being suspended or 'executed' from the school!

Execution does seem a little extreme, doesn't it? It certainly gave everyone a giggle, including our poor girl with the sore tummy (which was, of course, made worse by laughter).

It gave his teacher a good chuckle too, when she was told about it the next day ... and no, he was not executed!

Work Changes

Yesterday I had the rather interesting experience of being in a room full of people who were told their workplace is going to be closed down.

That would be MY workplace. The aged care facility I work in.

It's amazing that something we all 'kind of' expected, can still come as such a shock. We've had a few residents pass away recently, which has left us with a number of empty beds ... and it hadn't gone unnoticed by staff that those beds were not being filled with new residents as they normally would be.

So, when we received notice that there would be a meeting for all staff, followed by a meeting for all residents and their families, it was natural that there would be speculation about whether the centre might be closing. It was with some trepidation that we all filed in for the meeting yesterday, and our worst fears were confirmed. The building is over 50 years old and was originally built to provide for residents with 'low care' needs. These days, there are more services provided to help people stay at home for longer before they need to move into a facility. This means that by the time they come to us, they tend to have more 'high care' needs. Long corridors and rooms far away from the nurses' station, along with a lack of the modern equipment that can be found in many other centres, mean that the building is no longer practical for providing aged care. The age of the building also means refurbishment isn't an economical option.

There were a few tears shed at the meeting, naturally. Our jobs are under threat and that is a worry for everyone. Some will be able to transfer to other facilities, which is what I hope to do, or into Home and Community Care, while others will be taking redundancy packages. The main concern for most staff though is the emotional state of the people we provide care for. I am proud to say we are all quite protective of our residents and we are acutely aware that the idea of having to move house will be upsetting to many of them. There is no set date for closure, it will depend entirely on when the residents have all moved out. This could take just a couple of months, or it could be well into next year - we have to wait and see.

I was fine at the meeting, although hearing sniffles around the room made me a little emotional. I was more affected on the drive home afterwards though, when I thought more about the people I will miss when we no longer see each other regularly. The residents will all end up in different places - some may even have to move away to other towns. Our staff group, who make such a great team and are so supportive of one another, will all go in different directions. I will even miss the building itself ... it's unique and quirky, and has the best views in town.

Most of all, I will always remember that this building is the one I re-entered the workforce in. My own confidence has grown so much over the 17 months I've been there and the experience has been invaluable. I don't know how much longer I will have there and it will be sad to see it go, but I will always think of it with pride.