Am I Confused????

There are nights at work that I really wonder about.  Like last night.

Things started out fine.  I punch in, go up to the 2nd for Health Center, put my stuff away and get report.  The day CNA tells me that I’ll probably have 2 supper trays because one has a cold and the other one is getting a cold.  And then she tells me I’ll have my normal wheelchair people.  These are the Sisters who refuse to walk, even though they can walk, but are spoiled and want to be pushed around everywhere they want to go.
So, for the most part, the afternoon/night looked pretty normal.

Then crazyness began to happen around 4pm.  I get a call from the small dining room staff.  Sr. so-in-so is down here looking for church.  So, I head down to the dining room to redirect Sr. and tell her church isn’t for another 45minutes.  By the time I get to the dining room I can’t find her.  So I start looking for her.  10 minutes later I find her and she says:  "I just got here about 7 hrs. ago from California.  What time is mass?"  I look at her and I say, follow me.  I take her into the health center and I sit her down and I say:  "Sr., you’ve lived here in Sienna for 8 yrs.  Mass is in the morning.  It’s evening.  We will be having prayers in 20 minutes.  I will take you to Bethany Chapel when it’s time for prayers."   She looks at me and says:  "I don’t know who you think I am, but I’m Sr. R.G. and I just came today."  I look at her and I say: "yup, I know your Sr. RG, and your birthday is *******, and you came here from Chicago where you taught music, and your room is ****.  What is the date today Sr.?"  She had no clue what day it was.  So, I take her upstairs to run a Chem Strip on her and sure enough, UTI.

Get back downstairs, and another Sr. was headed for the chapel.  I get in the chapel with her and she says:  "my this is a beautiful chapel.  When did they build this?"  I looked at her and said:  "in 1964".  She turns around and says:  "just last year, wow!"  I just walked away.

I head upstairs to get my wheelchair person and take her to supper.  I’m getting her oxygen ready and she looks at me and says:  "what’s for breakfast?"  I look at her and say:  "macaroni and cheese".  She looks at me and says:  "they have the goofiest breakfasts around here.  Last night they had meatballs and the nightbefore that they had brats."  I look at her and say:  "Sr. it’s suppertime, not breakfast.  It’s nighttime.  5pm in Wisconsin.  We are at Sinsinawa Mound."

After I left her room I went and found the charge nurse and reported the confusion in each person.  I look at her and say:  "is this a full moon or what’s going on?"  Now we both knew it wasn’t a full moon.  But when 3 people are confused you really begin to wonder.

Today I’m tired.  I’m physically tired.  I’m supposed to go to the nursing home this afternoon to be with my extended family and mom and I don’t even want to go.  It’s foggy again, and I hate driving in the fog.  I know, I know.  These are just excuses.  But part of me feels that my extended family needs to spend quality time with mom, without me.  I’m there everyday almost and this is the first time any of them have come to see mom in  years.  Why is that?

Oh well.  I’ve got to make lunch and then get some oil for the car and drop stuff off at Goodwill.  Take care everyone.