Week two at Cardinal Hill Nusing Centre. As I trecked the 1.9 miles (according to google maps), I just kept dreading it. I didn't want to go. I wish I could tell you that the day went wonderfuly and now I just can't wait to return, but that wouldn't be true. I just get too emotionally exhuasted everytime I go there. I can't imagine what it's like to actually work there. Man, I could not do that.
Anyway, like I said, we're keeping journals for General Psych. Each week we have to write on two of three topics: integration (what connects to what you're learning in class?), observation (um... observations?), and introspection (how is this affecting you?).
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Friday, September 18, 2008
10am-noon
Integration
Aging effects how we learn, what we learn, and what we retain of that knowledge. Crystallized intelligence is one's accumulated knowledge regarding things like vocabulary. That increases with age. Fluid intelligence, on the other hand is one's ability to reason speedily, logically, or abstractly. Fluid intelligence decreases slowly up to age 75, and then rapidly after that. Today I sat and did a puzzle with a lady who could barley utter an understandable sentence. When I sat down at her table with the puzzle in hand, she was writing. She was perfectly capable of writing legibly, and I could see the crystallized intelligence at work. However, we started working on the puzzle, and I witnessed the decrease in fluid intelligence. There were several times where she would pick out the right pieces to go together, but most of the time she would pick out different shapes or colors and try to force them together. After she got frustrated, she angrily told me just to put the puzzle back because she couldn't do it.
Introspection
The two hours spent at Cardinal Hill feels like two millenniums every time. I swear, time slows down the moment I walk in the door. Today, though, it was amplified because I spent those two hours with two ladies that can't really talk. It was so frustrating and sad because they understood me, and they understood what they wanted to say, but I couldn't understand them. I would nod and smile, but I couldn't understand anything. It was so hard. I guess I totally take my ability to speak for granted. It must be so frustrating for them not to be understood. Also, I read to Ruth today, but she kept trying to talk to me. From what I did understand, she was lonely and sad because her children and grandchildren didn't come to visit her. As we looked through the magazine, she would smile and get excited if there was a photo of a baby. She loved babies, and she wanted to see her grandchildren. It was a sad, simple request, but it's so easy to forget about people. It's so easy to pass them over unless you have the prompting of an old lady in a nursing home moments away from crying. I saw my great-grandma once when she lived in the nursing home. I just... forgot about her. Granted, I was only about 7, but it's the same way with most everyone. It hurts to see the other side of it.
I do want to make one positive note about today. Last week I played a trivia game with this one lady. Afterwards, I pulled out a word search from the same folder as the trivia questions, and I gave her the search to do. She loved it. This week, I bought her a book of word searches. Right before I left, I saw her sitting at a lunch table, so I walked over and asked if she remembered me. I'm not sure if she did or not, but her face lit up when I gave her the book. She asked me, "What is your name." I told her, "Miranda." She said, "Miranda. I'll remember that. Thank you." It was so rewarding to see her happy about that book. Next, I want to find a way to get some flowers to the residents because most of them LOVE flowers. We'll see, though.
