HW 30

My friends and I decided to go visit a nursing home named Mary Manning Walsh located on 72nd street and York avenue. Two of my elderly aunts lived there until they both passed away a couple of years ago. The weird or maybe unique thing about this nursing home is depending on what floor your on it is like an apartment building and nurses just walk around just in case someone needs assistance, but once you go to floor 6 for example everything changes.

On the 6Th floor you no longer smell the fragrances from the beautiful lobby (which is amazing and looks better then most lobbies) you soon smell odd odors of pee, medicines and body sprays that never smell good. Many of the patients were in wheel chairs in the hallways talking to strangers because there were so lonely or just mumbling to themselves. Many of the nurses were minorities and they didn't really pay any attention to the patients. On the walls of the hallway there were pictures of patients smiling in costumes, dancing, bowling, do all kinds of activities. Seeing these pictures confused me because when looking at the lifeless patients I couldn't picture them doing all of these activities.

This experience helped me realize I rather just take care of my parents when they need help instead of sending them to a nursing home, because I feel like its hard for the nurses and doctors to keep track of all the patients and actually spend quality time with each and every patient, and I believe once your sent to a nursing home you feel alone and want as much company as possible.

In our culture it is very common for families to send there ill family members to a nursing home because it is an easy way out and they don't have to take responsibility for another human being. This is important because once someone because unable to take care of themselves people feel like they are a burden and usually try to get rid of them or take the ill person to a place were they know they can be taken care physically but not always mentally and emotionally. When looking into nursing homes I believe people should look at all aspects such as activities the community, the nurses, the food, lay in the beds for 10 minuets, take a shower, anything to make sure the living conditions are suitable.

HW 28

I really liked how my mentor gave me feed back about what I did good but then also gave me constructive criticism which I tried to apply to my recent post Hw 27.

I was really impressed by the comment my "younger" person left me, it was very precise and the constructive criticism given was the same as my mentors. So for post 27 I reread over my work multiple times to check for grammatical errors.

Sarah's comment:

While reading your story I felt as if I was right there with you in the nursing home, you even explained the nurses in such great detail I had visuals. Your best line was "We walked passed another room where yet more people in wheelchairs were dressed up and wearing hats saying ‘Happy New Year." I pictured a scene from a movie and it expressed a sense of comfort. Although people were in wheel chairs they still had holiday spirit and were festive.

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Sarah's comment to me:

Steph - I really enjoyed reading this blog post. It showed equally your perspective and the woman in the story. It seems as though through her experience you have been able to open up to your own ideas on life. The line that stood out to me was, "As I was leaving her house she stated that she never wants to go back to a hospital and if she's going to die she wants to die in the comfort of her own home... Hearing her say this wasn't too surprising because if I was in her situation I would want to do the same." This seems like a common trend we are noticing throughout this unit. People would rather be surrounded by the ones they love the most verses the strangers who are paid to keep them alive. I think you have a good start to this story and I would like to hear more!

Megumi's comment:

While reading your post two sentences really popped out to me. The first being "Right now, I see her as a strong independent figure that continues to teach me the importance of living." I was impressed by this sentence because it is very strong and powerful and I personally would feel great hearing this from a loved one it would give me the courage to keep fighting. The second sentence that popped out to me was "I was shocked but I knew I had to stay strong so I could reassure her that everything will be okay" This popped out to me because although your sad you know you have to stay strong for your loved one because the struggle is a lot harder for her. Your post was very inspirational and drew me in great job.

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Megumi's comment to me:

I found your post very moving and explicitly showed your reactions and emotions toward this figure. A line I found very insightful was, "It is possible that she doesn't want to feel like she is relying on medicine to keep her alive and she wants to die "naturally" and if it's her time to go she wants to just go." I also found it ironic that this figure was the complete oppostite as my grandmother who relies on medicine because she's afraid of death. The post made me question how we should use medicine.

Mentors comment:Steph- I really enjoyed this post because you stated your opinions on the situation and also the opinion of what the family member might believe. You didn't necessarily agree with what she believes, but that is what makes this post so interesting. It also shows how passionate you are about the subject. My favorite quote in this post was, "She is always falling and getting cuts and bruises but we all think of her as a warrior." In your familys case, her illness is not making her a weak person, but more of a fighter or "warrior". I find this very interesting because society would label her as the weaker link, but instead, you take a different approach. Beautiful! *Submitted by mentor

HW 27

During the holidays I took a visit to a family members house. She's been in the hospital a couple of times, her most recent visit was because her lung collapsed. She is always falling and getting cuts and bruises but we all think of her as a warrior. After coming out of the hospital she got this really bad cough, she turns red and hacks up a bunch of mucus and she's unable to speak for a while because she try's to gain her breath back. As I was leaving her house she stated that she never wants to go back to a hospital and if she's going to die she wants to die in the comfort of her own home.

Hearing her say this wasn't too surprising because if I was in her situation I would want to do the same. The thing that surprised me the most was she doesn't take much medication and just deals with all the pain and discomfort. If she took an Advil here and there i believe she would be more comfortable and not always complaining. I brought up the idea of going to the doctors to get some medicine for her cough and she threw a tantrum like a two year old. It is possible that she doesn't want to feel like she is relying on medicine to keep her alive and she wants to die "naturally" and if it's her time to go she wants to just go.

One thing that made me sad was she stopped something she loved doing all her life, which was art. She tells us that her arthritis is so bad she can't hold the utensils necessary for working. If she wasn't so stubborn I bet she would be able to find something that helped the arthritis enough so she would be able to do some art. I wish she wasn't so stubborn and was more open to some medical assistance so she would be in less pain.

HW 26

Insights

1. Don't dwell on your illness, try to make the best of it (Tuesdays with Morrie)

2. really appreciate loved ones while there still here (quest speaker)

3. Health care is an illness within its self. (Sicko)

4. Keep doing the things you enjoy regardless of your illness (quest speaker and Tuesdays with Morrie)

The book Tuesdays with Morrie really impacted me and helped me think deeper into dying and illness. It was so helpful because I really looked up to Morrie even though I didn't know him, the way he dealt with his illness was very inspiring and opened up my eyes to the little things in life. He did this by explaining and letting us in on his last couple of months alive and being very open with the affects of his illness. He made jokes such as being so sick he will soon have to get his ass wiped by a stranger and how normal it was having people help him pee into a bottle, simple things like this made me respect Morrie.

In the last few weeks of this topic I believe we should explore how to deal with illness. Not the simple things but explore how to make our loved ones more comfortable, I guess that is more of a personal task but brainstorming general ideas could be beneficial to others. Another thing we can explore is certain illness's and the affects they have on people. This would keep us aware and we could learn how to prevent certain illnesses.

Hw 25 Response to Sicko

Precis: Health care in the United States is no were close to helpful, other countries such as Canada, France, and Britain have health care and it actually has wonderful benefits and patients get helped with little to no fees and they don't wait hours for help like us Americans do. While seeking for help within the health care "community" there are many rules and laws set so the chance of people getting help for free is slim to none. If America decided to work together our health care could be improved tremendously and we could all benefit from those changes.

Evidence 1:

What caught my eye was when the movie was getting into detail about Hillary Clinton and how she was fighting for better health care. This caught my attention because the more she fought for it the less attention she got and she was told to stop bringing it up. This only made me believe that the people (government) working for health care are just in it for themselves and not for the actual patients. To this day health care has not changed and us Americans are still assed out.

Evidence 2:

People in other countries have better health to the point that the poorest people in other countries are healthier then some of the richest people in America. That is a big argument which has been proven and this should have American health care workers. the government on there toes. Doctors in Britain are also paid more when patients illnesses improve, why can't America work a plan like this so the government is eager to make health care cheaper?

These two pieces of evidence are relevant because they both show/prove that other countries have better health care which improves the life's of most residents/ patients.

Thoughts and ideas:

After watching Sicko I was shocked by how differently patients in other countries were treated, I was actually quite jealous. A week before I saw the movie my mother complained to me how her health insurance had gone up and how she still had to pay at least 200 dollars for medicine every month. If we moved to Canada she wouldn't have to worry about spending so much on something that everyone should get free.

If doctors are prescribing these medicines to certain people, its obviously because they need them not because they want them, so in my mind patients should not have to pay for medication, because in the long run those medications ad up to a big amount.(money wise)

Book part 3

Title: Mountains beyond mountains

Author: Tracy Kidder

Publisher: Random house

Year published: 2003

Precis: Paul's journey through Haiti and his life as a devoted doctor helped made Haitians through there health issues. Paul was in the business for the pure sense of helping others, his selflessness lead him to great things. Although it didn't lead him to tons of money, it lead him to the great feeling of helping others and that's what he yearned for. He became a spoke persons for the Haitians because they was unable to do so with there poverty and illness as constrictions.

Quotes:

"Never underestimate the ability of a small group of committed individuals to change the world." page 164

The first thing that came to mind after I read this was Paul. I thought about him because he was just one person who made a huge difference in many people's life because he was so committed and passionate about his job. I agree with this statement because if someone is confident enough and have there mind set on doing/ accomplishing something I believe they can succeed. (A rational goal helps)

For him, the reward was inward clarity, and the price perpetual anger or, at best, discomfort with the world..." page 210

For Paul the reward wasn't money, the reward was simply knowing he helped someone, or improved there living (illness wise)

"If only you saw patients, you might not be happy" page 281

Although some of the sights Paul witness were disturbing, he still continued to help the people of Haiti and didn't give up on them. His dedication was unbelievable and inspiring.

Final thoughts:

When I first started this book I wasn't to touched and it didn't really mean much to me. As I kept reading on i realized that I could actually learn from this, not simply learn that helping others is a courteous thing to do, but that being selfless at times can actually be a wonderful reward. I tried being selfless for the day and to be honest id didn't work out as I planned, but after I would do something selfless I felt "happy" actually quite relieved. I'm still not sure what this feeling meant but I enjoyed it, on the train I tend to let older people sit, I try and hold doors open for people, and with close friends instead of asking for favors in return I simply help them out because I know its the "right" thing to do. The situations I just mentioned might not be actions of selflessness but they are acts of kindness and being kind is a good first step to being selflessness in my eyes.

Illness and dying book part 2

Title: Mountains beyond mountains

Author: Tracy Kidder

Publisher: The random house publishing group

Year published: 2003

Precis: With the research Dr. Paul realized that the program DOT had many flaws. Instead of helping patients it made people sicker. He works with the sick Haitians and gives them all his attention and heart to the point were he gets sick himself. His selfless continues and he only wants the Haitians to be taken care of and given a fair chance with their health conditions.

Quotes:

TO BE CONTINUED