Sunday, July 6, 2008

I hesitated for a moment...

... and then I said it anyway. I imagine I'll hear about my inappropriate choice of words today, but last night it was definitely the right thing to say.

I was doing rounds last night and settling folks down for sleep. One of my residents, who occasionally uses salty language, needed a full bed change due to spilled juice. They usually do, so this was no change from normal and I had already brought the clean linen with me. However, tonight they had also been incontinent of both urine and feces. When they realized it, they were very upset and proceeded to swear. I reassured them and proceeded to get them all cleaned up.

As I was gathering up the dirty linen bag and swapping out the trash bags, the resident said, "Ugh! There's a fly!"

As I shooed it away, I really did think about what I was about to say. I know the resident in the other bed could hear me, but I thought the one I was working on needed a little levity.

"Rude son of a bitch," I said.

"Yeah!" my resident said and started laughing.

Should I have said it? Nope. But I'm glad I did.

2 comments:

MH said...

I've found that a few choice swear words can make certain residents days brighter. it seems counterproductive but a well placed four letter word can sometimes make someone feel at home. that they can be themselves here. sometimes this situation sucks, lets acknowledge it, not ignore it. its the knowing when its ok and when it will get you fired that's tricky. I err on the side of caution always.

K. Tree said...

So far I have remained unscathed. Of course, I haven't been to work today yet.