As many of you know I am a Care Provider in an Assisted Living Facility. That is a very challenging job both physically and emotionally but it has taught me a lot about geriatric disease. Part of my job is medical administration which teaches me also about medical treatments for various illnesses. From older folks I get a clear picture of what adjustment to physical disability is and how to go about it. So I find my job both rewarding and satisfying in many ways.
You know that saying, "You can't teach an old dog new tricks?" Well, I couldn't disagree more! Adjusting to facility living challenges every single thing you're used to from cooking your own meals (that you pick and that you like) to making your own bed, and especially privacy - imagine people of all types walking in on you in the bathroom!
Living with COPD is a huge adjustment as well - it's just a bit more gradual. You have to little by little give up the things you're used to doing for yourself and accept help. That's tough on us but it's also tough on the people around us who just want to help! We often pretend that nothing is wrong but they know!
Here is an article about workplace burden that reflects that we just can't do what we want to at work either:
COPD Symptom Burden Linked to Work Impairment, Increased Utilization
We do the best we can but we often have to shift from work of choice to another type of work. After this last round of pneumonia I have moved out of Care Provider and into Housekeeping. It's more physical but a lot less stressful and I just can't handle the stress much more. I thought I could keep my toe in the door so to speak doing CP once a week but now I realize that it's all part of accepting where I'm at and what I can do at this stage.
Adjustment, Adjustment, Adjustment!
Life marches on!
Serenity Prayer
- Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971)
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
enjoying one moment at a time;
accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
that I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
forever in the next.
Amen.
May God Bless each of us as we walk the path of Life we've been given!
