Reflections
PROFILES IN CARING
Teresita Bacani-Oropilla, MD
L
aughter and camaraderie were ev-
ident at the front desk of an assist-
ed living facility. A group of long-
time caretakers were exchanging
pleasantries as they helped unload
a bus full of residents with their walkers and
wheelchairs. The latter had just dined out at
a restaurant. These forays into the outside
world: lunches, plays, shopping at Kroger, going to a beauty parlor,
or completing doctors’ appointments - all allow residents to enjoy
the ordinary at the sunset of their lives.
Some believe it takes a village to raise a child. It definitely takes
an army of hardworking people to care for the compromised elderly.
Among these would be Nan (not her real name) a cheerful, firm yet
gentle woman who reminds her charges about mealtimes. The sight
of her at the end of an arduous day brings relief as she helps one
prepare for bed, positions one’s pillow to support an aching back,
gives one last drink, pulls down the blinds and turns off the light.
Small talk about the new picture of a grandchild leaves a tired body
relaxed as Nan moves on to the next room
“GT-one” is the gregarious head of transportation who keeps
up with the appointments of sometimes forgetful residents. An
expert in manipulating assistive devices, he knows whom to buckle
down, to drop off at a curb, or accompany to the waiting room of
a doctor’s office. When staff is short, he still knows how to care for
patients, which was how he started working in this facility more
than twenty years ago.
“DR” of the recreation department delights old ladies at breakfast
as he invites them for morning exercise with a greeting, “They say
some angels are missing, and left their wings at heaven’s door, and
I find you here!!”
“ED” in her seventies knows that Ms. D takes a lot of time to
finish her toast and jelly, hence lets her dawdle. Mrs. P will have
syrup and fruit with her pancakes and Mrs. O will drink only hot
milk, not cold. Her cooks and waiters have likewise learned the
idiosyncrasies and dietary restrictions of their clientele as they
serve lunch and dinner 30 days a month the whole year through.
Thus, behind the seemingly peaceful tended gardens are assisted
living facilities and nursing homes buzzing like beehives. Certified
medical assistants, nurses, physical therapists, housekeepers, bath-
ers and maintenance men are constantly on the go, unnoticed and
unsung. They nevertheless produce the sweet honey of caring that
makes the life of their elderly clients worthwhile.
Thanks folks! We appreciate you!
Dr. Bacani-Oropilla is a retired psychiatrist.
MARCH 2019
21