Life in the Slow Lane

I spend a few hours or so every day at the Klondike Manor Nursing Home, which is officially not called a nursing home, it is a Rehabilitation and Nursing Care Facility. There are about sixty-two "residents". Doc is one of the "residents". It is a varied group of people and since I'm there for a portion of each day, I have gotten to become familiar with a number of them.
The facility itself is very neat, clean, and attractively decorated. Jane went with me to check it out before we settled on the place to move Doc to after his second stroke. His right side was paralyzed and he could get physical therapy there. Jane and I both were impressed by the fact that the place had a very nice odor. Most "homes " that we had been to had the unpleasant odor of,well,nursing homes!
It took Doc awhile to settle into the place. He's used to being in charge and having his demands met 'STAT'. It didn't happen that way and he was not too pleased and was inclined to let them know in no uncertain terms. While his speech was affected by the stroke as to the spoken word but not the volume, he did a lot of yelling. I've been told a number of times that they are used to obstreperous people there and he did not get any votes for being the worst, matter of fact he wasn't even in the running.He adapted to them and they adapted to him.
He is not a very social person so he did not even attempt to make friends. He won't eat in the dining room because they play music, 40's music, and he says he can't hear people talk with the music playing. He does enjoy going out into the patio/garden. It is beautiful. Lots of flowers, trees, bushes and birds. They have a fish pond with water lillies and huge gold fish. There are bird feeders hanging in the trees and bird nests in every available place that the birds choose to set up house keeping. There is a robin's nest on the drain pipe outside his window, a dove's nest on the drain pipe near the entrance of the building,more robins, wrens and others around the garden area. The mallards have a nest there near the fishpond and the squirrels and chipmonks abound. One day a deer came into the grassy area right outside his window. He is very contented to watch the activity of the wild life and enjoys the flora and fauna.
I have struck up a friendship with many of the residents. There is a man there that has a nervous laugh. He is very friendly and kind. He is about 88yrs old and he also served in WW 2 just as Doc did. He reminisces about his days as a dancer. He was a dance instructor and danced at Fountain Ferry Park in the old days. He married one of his dance partners but it didn't work out and he married another girl. They had triplets. Two identical girls and a boy. When I asked why he was there at Klondike he said, "Because my wife put me here!" Ha,ha,ha. He told Doc she put him there because he hit her and knocked her down. Ha,ha,ha.Actually he is a very kind good hearted man. He frequently says, I love you and always says God Bless you when you leave. Ha ha!
Arlene is a very ill patient. she suffers great pain most of the time but she can forget it for awhile if she can wheel herself into the patio and talk with us for a few moments. She spent her life working for the govertnment, the IRS, to be exact. She has a condo that she was living in but has had to put it up for sale in order to pay her fees at Klondike. Her daughter just graduated from Spaulding with another degree, summa cum laude and has emmediately registered for further studies. She is about 35 years old and up to this point her mom has financed her. Arlene said she hated to tell her that she was on her own now because she needs her money to pay her bills. Her drug bills alone cost $1500.oo a month. She says it costs her about $5000. a month to reside at KM.She is taken by ambulance every Mon. Wed. and Fri to Suburban for Kidney Dialysis. When I stop at McDonalds or Wendy's for a milk shake for Doc now and then, I always bring her one too. Her 98 year old mother comes to visit despite the fact that Arlene begs her not to come because she drives herself!
Ruth was brought here from Cleveland by her son because he wanted her near his home. She is not used to this heat and humidity but she likes it. She is very sharp and can converse about a variety of subjects. Even though it is ninety degrees, she still brings her sweater with her when she comes to the patio. She is baffled by the fact that she is still alive. She questions the reasoning of God that He lets her keep on living. She says she has no purpose in life and sees herself as a semi-burdon for her son. She had emergency surgery in April and had to have a colostomy. She can't figure out why. She's 93 years old. Waiting for God!
I am quite surprised to know how many people are here that we know. One of the people lived down the street from us for the last 40 years or so. She was a well known figure in the neighborhood because of her profession. Her husband owned a girly bar down on Third St. and in her hey day she was a stripper. The aides have viewed her scrap book and heard some of her expertiences. She rolls into Doc's room occasionally and he yells at her to 'Get Out!' She is always looking for ways to get out of the 'home' and asks people to help her escape. She seems lonely to me but is not too aware of her plight.
I love most of the aids and nurses on the staff. They are or can be quite funny. They are loud and raucus at times but their job is very difficult. They have to take a lot of guff and deal with a lot of complaints. They have to take their lunch breaks and cigaret breaks out in the patio and their conversations are sometimes a riot. They argue over who has the least stretch marks, who has the laziest husband, who is the best cook, unlimited subjects to discuss. I would love to record some of them because they are so funny. They are quite taken with my shoes and check each day to see which ones I am wearing. I explained to them that I have to make up for the lack of shoes I had growing up during the depression when I had to cut out news paper liners for my shoes to cover the holes in the soles. I avoided walking on the cement that way. They were amused! It's true, ladies! They are the unsung heros of the decrepid members of society! More later.(ha,ha,ha)