I am on a new project: the collection of legwarmers to be distributed to the cold and frail at hospitals provided they are knitted with soft "baby" wool and other knitted legwarmers to be distributed to the elderly and the street homeless.
I am sourcing an easy pattern to knit or crochette and will post the instructions as soon as I get them for those who know how to knit.
If you already have legwarmers that you can donate drop them off at 5976 Cambie (basement entrance) across from Safeway at Oakridge Mall or let me know and I will come and pick them up. 604-321-2276 I will distribute them if you can't.
Legwarms (sleeves) made from soft yarn is the answer to those being cold in a hospital or residential setting. Easy to put on; easy to take off; easy to knit: either rectangles or knit-in-the-round (tube). They should be seamless or have invisible handsewned seams. What a simple solution to an old age problem.
I spent the last few days seeking out legwarmers in dollarstores. There is some stock but none with the soft yarn knitted that would be close to the body to fit the legs or arms snuggly. For the frail item 16-3010054 one size fits all the one with fuzzy strips) is the best (if you live in an area that has a Dollarama)and is priced at $1.50. Buy them all up and donate them to your local residential care or hospital.
The knit has to be a rib stitch so it can stretch. At the beginning use a smaller sized needles (4-6 rows) to get more stretch to act as an elastic (not necesaary but desireable) and then go to a slightly larger needle(s) all the while doing knit one pearl one (64 stitches)) and knit about 20-inches for a one-size fits all pattern.
Although fashion sleeve legwarmers have been around forever, the use of them for the frail and the aged has not be exploited. I hope the "sleeves" become a standard in everyone's family.
In addition to knitted legwarm sleeves, I would also like to collect socks being mismatched or used. The homeless are always short of socks and I will make sure they are distributed fairly. The socks do not have to be in perfect condition; they do not even have to match or be sized.
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Friday, November 4, 2011
Monday, October 31, 2011
Monday October 31st 2011
After rushing off to the dollar store to purchase legwarmers, I came home at 7:30 p.m. to a large doggie (retriever) hiding under the table quivering (I got to start doing crossword puzzles so I can increase my vocabulary) in fear. He is trembling. This big doggie is afraid of the noises of Hallowe'en. He has serious issues: he is afraid of any large noise and bolts until he runs away from the sound with me running after him or if inside he burrows into a corner under a table. Try to move/comfort a 100 pound doggie when he is afraid. I will have to spend the evening soothing/holding him. I am close to seventy years old. Do I need this. Of course I need it...how else am I to keep active.
I was able to see Randy today. He was so "normal." We spent two full hours doing lettering, visiting with Russ, Roy, Asif and Ray, being disabled residents who dropped by, and, briefly a volunteer, GPC's carpenter in Hallowe'en dress and the nurse practioner. I am beginning to think the best thing that happened was my constructive banning.
If it wasn't for that Randy most likely would have died by now because I would just be at his bedside and he won't be forced to get up. I remember when I was saying something about me being banned someone said at least now he gets up. I can't remember who she was as there were people around and confusion and when I am under stress things fade into memory flashbacks but thank you for saving Randy's life and perhaps even my own.
I have to leave the blog as the big doggie needs me.
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I was able to see Randy today. He was so "normal." We spent two full hours doing lettering, visiting with Russ, Roy, Asif and Ray, being disabled residents who dropped by, and, briefly a volunteer, GPC's carpenter in Hallowe'en dress and the nurse practioner. I am beginning to think the best thing that happened was my constructive banning.
If it wasn't for that Randy most likely would have died by now because I would just be at his bedside and he won't be forced to get up. I remember when I was saying something about me being banned someone said at least now he gets up. I can't remember who she was as there were people around and confusion and when I am under stress things fade into memory flashbacks but thank you for saving Randy's life and perhaps even my own.
I have to leave the blog as the big doggie needs me.
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Saturday, October 29, 2011
Randy on Saturday
A friend of Randy's went to see him and she called me from his bedside on her cell. I spoke to Randy for a few minutes telling about seeing him on Monday and that on Saturday I was taking the doggies to the groomers for their annual grooming. Can't afford it more than once a year. The groomer chopped so much hair of them I couldn't even recognize them. To say the least both of them didn't seem happy as they ran to hide behind my legs when I went to pick them up. They have been such a comic relief for me.
Randy's friend said that he wrote out his initials in the air so she could see them. He really is keen to learn. There just is no one there to help him. I can't access him as much as he needs. She didn't stay long but I was grateful that she did go and see him.
Randy's friend said that he wrote out his initials in the air so she could see them. He really is keen to learn. There just is no one there to help him. I can't access him as much as he needs. She didn't stay long but I was grateful that she did go and see him.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Randy on Thursday/Friday
Yesterday being October 27 2011 Randy was not as enthusiastic as he was on Wednesday but he repeated his lettering, moved his wheelchair, and was social with a few of the residents who came into the family room.
Today being Friday October 28 2011 when I arrived at GPC at 2:00 p.m. I was told by Tanu that Randy didn't want to get out of bed. When I went to see Randy for my five minutes to see that he was okay (I am sorry I thought it was ten minutes but have been advised it is only five minutes)he wanted me to stay by his bedside as he said he was in pain but I told him that GPC won't let me. He would have to get up and be in his wheelchair and he would have to go to the piano room. He agreed and then I was told that there was no staff to put him in his chair and he should have told the staff earlier if he wanted to see me. (Randy for the most part cannot connect because of his brain injury cause and effect. He seems to live in the moment). It was a repeat of what happened on Monday.
GPC knows every time I go down the hall to see him for my five/ten minutes he always wants to see me. Randy is suppose to get 6.5 hours of care a day. For staff to spend five minutes to put him in his chair should not be a hardship. I am not there to visit I am there to audit/rehab which GPC has been faulty in not motivating Randy to do which which means he must have at least 6.0 hrs a day credit over one year 360 days X 6 hrs = 2,160 hours X $100 an hour = $216,000) which GPC is being paid for and Randy is not getting treated for.
Randy has had a traumatic brain injury and millions of his brain cells have been destroyed and the staff at GPC treat him as he is whole. He isn't. The staff at GPC must be very badly trained as they do not seem to understand this. He responds well to visual stimulation (like seeing me) not verbal questions (like do you want to get up in your chair or do you want any visitors). I still do not understand why when he was in acute care (VCH) he was taken out of bed each day and they didn't ask his permission but at GPC they ask him. I suspect it is easier to keep him in bed so he loses muscle mass and eventually won't be able to get up even if he wanted to.
How easy it would be to alienate his affection for me. GPC has custody of him all the time and I get to see him only a few hours/few minutes a week. I fear he is becoming institutionalized and I am helpless to prevent it.
When I left I had to pull my hand away from his grip. He wasn't crying but I was. I was told on Wednesday that he has been put on antidepressants which would dull his reactions as he usually cries when he sees me.
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Today being Friday October 28 2011 when I arrived at GPC at 2:00 p.m. I was told by Tanu that Randy didn't want to get out of bed. When I went to see Randy for my five minutes to see that he was okay (I am sorry I thought it was ten minutes but have been advised it is only five minutes)he wanted me to stay by his bedside as he said he was in pain but I told him that GPC won't let me. He would have to get up and be in his wheelchair and he would have to go to the piano room. He agreed and then I was told that there was no staff to put him in his chair and he should have told the staff earlier if he wanted to see me. (Randy for the most part cannot connect because of his brain injury cause and effect. He seems to live in the moment). It was a repeat of what happened on Monday.
GPC knows every time I go down the hall to see him for my five/ten minutes he always wants to see me. Randy is suppose to get 6.5 hours of care a day. For staff to spend five minutes to put him in his chair should not be a hardship. I am not there to visit I am there to audit/rehab which GPC has been faulty in not motivating Randy to do which which means he must have at least 6.0 hrs a day credit over one year 360 days X 6 hrs = 2,160 hours X $100 an hour = $216,000) which GPC is being paid for and Randy is not getting treated for.
Randy has had a traumatic brain injury and millions of his brain cells have been destroyed and the staff at GPC treat him as he is whole. He isn't. The staff at GPC must be very badly trained as they do not seem to understand this. He responds well to visual stimulation (like seeing me) not verbal questions (like do you want to get up in your chair or do you want any visitors). I still do not understand why when he was in acute care (VCH) he was taken out of bed each day and they didn't ask his permission but at GPC they ask him. I suspect it is easier to keep him in bed so he loses muscle mass and eventually won't be able to get up even if he wanted to.
How easy it would be to alienate his affection for me. GPC has custody of him all the time and I get to see him only a few hours/few minutes a week. I fear he is becoming institutionalized and I am helpless to prevent it.
When I left I had to pull my hand away from his grip. He wasn't crying but I was. I was told on Wednesday that he has been put on antidepressants which would dull his reactions as he usually cries when he sees me.
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Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Randy on Wednesday
I went to see Randy today and he was so looking normal. This first thing he did was grab a small white board and a white board marker and printed out "R" "W" in large letters to fill the white board. I was so pleased and so was he. I told him he can now sign cheques payble to me. And he shook his head. He wasn't going to give me any money. Unless he loses his will to live, he will survive.
Then he decided he wanted to show me his expertise in navigating his wheelchair. This is something because I do not think that OT had spend much time with him showing him how to use his wheelchair except for the few hours I did with him. Then he went further and put his feet on the floor (after I removed the pedals) and was able to navigate his chair with moving his feet although limited in distance. I couldn't believe it. I was so happy.
Randy needs motivation: he needs hope; he needs a future; he needs things besides only being kept alive.
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Then he decided he wanted to show me his expertise in navigating his wheelchair. This is something because I do not think that OT had spend much time with him showing him how to use his wheelchair except for the few hours I did with him. Then he went further and put his feet on the floor (after I removed the pedals) and was able to navigate his chair with moving his feet although limited in distance. I couldn't believe it. I was so happy.
Randy needs motivation: he needs hope; he needs a future; he needs things besides only being kept alive.
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Monday, October 24, 2011
I was right.
Randy didn't want to get out of his bed to see me today. I looked at him and was in near tears as what I saw wasn't the "normal" appearance of hope I saw on Thursday. He was a skeleton with skin. When I inquired as to why he didn't want to get up he acknowledged that he wanted to go home. Although Randy changed his mind about getting up the charge nurse said she didn't have the staff to lift Randy out of bed and put him in his wheelchair and I would have to return tomorrow.
There is a letter out there written by Bob Chapman of Risk Management that says that I can only attend to Randy at his bedside for only ten minutes max and for me to have a longer visit Randy would have to be transported to the piano room. Apparently after ten months the residents are still afraid of me and GPC hasn't done anything to end the fear like getting a psychologist to speak to the residents about the fears of me. As far as I can tell no one is afraid of me.
Today I phoned at 4:15 GPC Ward 2 as I wanted to leave a message that I would phone Randy at 7:00 pm. By luck the afternoon RN answered the phone and she connected me with Randy. I was apologizing to Randy about not phoning him yesterday and that I had tried to phone on Friday and Saturday as well. I told him that the staff said he was sleeping but I knew he wasn't as I went to GPC and looked in his window at 9:05 pm and he was watching television. I knocked lightly on his window and I could see his head and knee move. I also told Randy that I would ask the medical staff that I attend with him when he is scheduled for medical treatments like physio (Randy apparently is refusing physio and other treatments) and I would be there as his support. When I said to him that I didn't understand why the staff won't let me talk to him on the phone on Sunday, the phone line abruptly went dead. For the readers, for me to phone Randy a nurse holds a phone to his ear as Randy does not have the dexterity to use a phone and he breathes heavily so I know he hears me. I never talk more than two minutes. I know the nurse hears our conversation but I do not know if it is on speaker phone or not; no difference as I am tired of being careful with what I say and how I say it. The stress is too much.
Back to Thursday and Randy's cry for FOOD. I was sick over it as I realized that the bully who cooks gourmet meals in Ward 2 must still be cooking his dinners there. The bully is a visitor who lives there except for the few hours he works. I complained prior to my banning about his "right" to cook spicy gourmet food as the smell must be torture to residents like Randy who cannot eat.(I just revisited the You Tube George Pearson Centre video and there the bully is saying he cooks at GPC). It has been ten months since I was constructively banned from GPC in the evenings and weekends and holidays when the bully would be there. I had forgotten that he must be continuing in his disregard for the helpless and vulnerable residents at GPC as long as he is "on board." The policy of GPC is that visitors are only allowed occasionally to have tea and a cookie; they are not allowed to buy food in bulk from Costco and cook it there. How can I argue with this "poster child" in the You Tube video of George Pearson Centre. He and the other bullies are all featured in the video as loving GPC. What a nauseating sequeal and true to the definition of bullying.
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97913
There is a letter out there written by Bob Chapman of Risk Management that says that I can only attend to Randy at his bedside for only ten minutes max and for me to have a longer visit Randy would have to be transported to the piano room. Apparently after ten months the residents are still afraid of me and GPC hasn't done anything to end the fear like getting a psychologist to speak to the residents about the fears of me. As far as I can tell no one is afraid of me.
Today I phoned at 4:15 GPC Ward 2 as I wanted to leave a message that I would phone Randy at 7:00 pm. By luck the afternoon RN answered the phone and she connected me with Randy. I was apologizing to Randy about not phoning him yesterday and that I had tried to phone on Friday and Saturday as well. I told him that the staff said he was sleeping but I knew he wasn't as I went to GPC and looked in his window at 9:05 pm and he was watching television. I knocked lightly on his window and I could see his head and knee move. I also told Randy that I would ask the medical staff that I attend with him when he is scheduled for medical treatments like physio (Randy apparently is refusing physio and other treatments) and I would be there as his support. When I said to him that I didn't understand why the staff won't let me talk to him on the phone on Sunday, the phone line abruptly went dead. For the readers, for me to phone Randy a nurse holds a phone to his ear as Randy does not have the dexterity to use a phone and he breathes heavily so I know he hears me. I never talk more than two minutes. I know the nurse hears our conversation but I do not know if it is on speaker phone or not; no difference as I am tired of being careful with what I say and how I say it. The stress is too much.
Back to Thursday and Randy's cry for FOOD. I was sick over it as I realized that the bully who cooks gourmet meals in Ward 2 must still be cooking his dinners there. The bully is a visitor who lives there except for the few hours he works. I complained prior to my banning about his "right" to cook spicy gourmet food as the smell must be torture to residents like Randy who cannot eat.(I just revisited the You Tube George Pearson Centre video and there the bully is saying he cooks at GPC). It has been ten months since I was constructively banned from GPC in the evenings and weekends and holidays when the bully would be there. I had forgotten that he must be continuing in his disregard for the helpless and vulnerable residents at GPC as long as he is "on board." The policy of GPC is that visitors are only allowed occasionally to have tea and a cookie; they are not allowed to buy food in bulk from Costco and cook it there. How can I argue with this "poster child" in the You Tube video of George Pearson Centre. He and the other bullies are all featured in the video as loving GPC. What a nauseating sequeal and true to the definition of bullying.
.
97913
Sunday, October 23, 2011
When is a lie cruel?
I have been trying for three evening to talk to Randy. I leave messages and my calls are not returned. This evening at 8:25 I called again and Rick answered. He said that Randy was asleep. A few minutes later I called again as that was impossible as Randy never goes to sleep that early. Another nurse answered the phone and she said she would go and check. I heard in the back ground some discussion and she told me that Randy was sleeping. I decided to take the bus to GPC and I arrived there at 9:05. I looked in Randy's window and could see the television was on. I could see his head move. I could see his knee move vertically up. As I walked pass the nurse's station I could see Rick reading a comic book at the common table and the rest of the staff congregated in the nurses' station chit chattering. When I say to Randy I will telephone him at a certain time and the staff refuses to connect you that is cruel and everyone of them who have been party to preventing Randy from speaking to me should get fired. This isn't the first weekend this has happened. Nearly every weekend this happens. And all it does is create distrust. Randy cannot believe what I tell him. And the staff at GPC think that is okay. Well it is not. How dare they behave in such a callous way. And I have told administration and they ignore me as well.
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