Viola’s face was beet red, and she was hoarse from shouting. “How can they do this to me? I’ve been in this room for months and now they want me to move?!” “I know, you’ve gotten used to it here,” I tried to explain. “But this is the short-term floor and you’re not short-term anymore.” … Read more
I was a dork in high school. Oh sure, some of the people who knew me best realized I wasn’t quite as dorky as I appeared on the outside, but to most of the kids in my class I was not a sought-after individual. Residents in geri-recliners are the dorks of the nursing home. For … Read more
“I never say goodbye,” Mr. O’Hara told me, “because that’s what my mother said when she left me as a child. Then she died and I never saw her again.” At 91, Mr. O’Hara was slim and getting slimmer. He began our next session as usual, discussing the procedures he was receiving from the doctors … Read more
Many residents have shared with me the experience of leaving their homes suddenly because of a medical emergency, only to find themselves unable to return. Now living in the nursing home, it’s difficult for them to wrap up their affairs in their former home, causing depression, anxiety, and a loss of control. In this post, … Read more
There’s an interesting article about stroke rehabilitation by Tori DeAngelis in the March 2010 issue of the Monitor on Psychology. In “New help for stroke survivors,” she writes about research showing that a “transfer package” is an essential component in maintaining the gains of inpatient rehab once the patient returns home. The transfer package includes … Read more
Listen to me and David Solie, MS, PA, author of How To Say It To Seniors: Closing the Communication Gap with Our Elders, in the program, What Do Nursing Home Residents Discuss with their Shrinks? You can hear the free half-hour BlogTalkRadio show, recorded on February 27, 2010, by clicking HERE.
Please: Hang my psychology diplomas on my wall, so I’m reminded of my accomplishments. Display family photos, so I feel surrounded by my loved ones. If I have Dementia, label my photos so the staff can talk to me about my family and help me to remember. Put a quilt or bedspread on my … Read more
I couldn’t wait to go to college. I was ready to shake off the old me, and begin a brand new self. No one would know who I’d been, and I could therefore be whomever I wanted to be. In my Psych 101 textbook, there was a picture of animal behaviorist Conrad Lorenz, followed … Read more
I recently met a new resident who demanded almost constant attention from her loved ones. Her family visited daily for hours at a time, and she’d call them soon after they’d left and tell them she was lonely. Trying to please her, they were exhausted, frustrated, irritable, and terribly sad. I reminded her tearful daughter … Read more