Pete's Post

Well my longed for break didn't happen the way I had hoped but maybe the latest development in the story of my life will be a break done different.

I managed to transition from my job in the uniform shop to an admin position in aged care. I am working full time this week to try to learn as much as I can then it's down to two days a week.

The young woman who is in the role now wanted to reduce hours so she will stop working tuesdays and thursdays and I will take those hours. Hello long weekends, I say!

So far there's just a mind blowing amount to learn and it's a bit overwhelming but I can do it.

This week a resident came to the office to speak to my colleague. I noticed the chaplain placed himself between the old man and the young woman. Interesting.

The old man asked if the administrator could call his son. 

The reply was sweet and almost charming, a perfectly nice "I called but he didn't pick up"

There was a little grumbling about the miserable son and my colleague showed some steel when she said "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree"

There was a bit more chatter and then the old man pulled an envelope from his bag and handed it over "can you post this?"

It was addressed 

NSW ART GALLERY

There were no other details and no stamp. I thought it was a very nice service for residents but wondered how much work was put into correcting addresses.

The old man said thanks and goodbye then wandered off.

My colleague opened a drawer full of similar envelopes and added the newest one to the pile.  

Our letter writer has some dementia and writes strange notes, then adds the business card of the centre manager, who has taken a number of calls from confused or offended members of the public. So, no more posting things for *Pete.

*Name changed for the purpose of privacy and alliteration

2025 week 27

My contract ended yesterday and on the same day, my request for redeployment  resulted in being offered a role as an administration assistant in an aged care centre. It will be just 16 hours a week but full time in the first week while I'm being trained. I start next week so I have four days off to try getting my head around life.

With mum in hospital I wasn't going to be having a holiday but I'm a bit disappointed there's no time to catch my breath. I'm grateful to have a job but I just hoped for a break.

I toured the aged care place mum wants to go to today. It was ok but not amazing. They have a room available but mum's discharge from hospital is too distant and uncertain for us to accept the offer.

Everything feels sad and it's been raining all day. A friend of mine forgot we had a coffee date. My gut told me she would.

2025 Week 26

 

Recovery Centre Dog Sherry. We have the same hair

About six weeks ago the mid-north coast of NSW had what was called an extreme weather event, a very large amount of rain leading to one in 500 year flooding.

I had many requests to go and help but of course, there were other things taking my time and attention.

Nine days after dad's funeral, I headed off to Taree on a volunteer deployment. The following day I had a phone call to say Mum had been unable to get off the toilet all night (9pm-11am)

I regularly call to check on her but her phone answering can be hit and miss so it might have taken several more hours before I realised there was a real problem. As it happened, a nurse going to shower her found her and insisted she was transported to hospital, where she is still.

Mum is 82 with heart failure, disability, frailty of age, a cancer history and some cognitive impairment so it becomes complicated.

In hospital her meds were changed and that caused her to retain fluid, her heart was really struggling and a UTI caused delirium.

I was away up the coast thinking she was just getting checked over and held in hospital while an aged care bed was organised. Despite several calls to the hospital and many messages to my siblings, I didn't know how bad it was and got rather a shock to get home to a frail and confused mum on oxygen.

The one good part of all this is that she will not be allowed to return home and the system will ensure that she has no choice but to go into care, something the family and her care team have all wanted for some time.

Fourteen hours of attempting to get off the toilet hurt mums elbows so that she is unable to feed herself. Tonight I was at the hospital to make sure she had help with her dinner and in a room of four patients, there were three middle aged daughters there to make sure their confused parents were fed.

Wingham Memorial Town Hall. One of the highlights of this kind of volunteering is seeing a range of public buildings. This one is beautiful.