Change of plans
When I first started this Physiotherapy program I imagined myself working in a private clinic, rehabbing athletes. It still may be a possibility but the more exposure I get with the hospital system, the more I like it. When I was in grade 11, I had a co-op placement at Toronto Western Hospital doing Physios and it was completely boring. The physios there did the same old boring thing day in and day out. So going into this I had that image in my head and if you're in the right rotation it's not like that.
The more I work with the older population, the more I enjoy it. I love working with that population, probably more so than an athletic population I think. They just have so much more life experience and their main objective is just to live a little longer. I'm in awe of how much will they have to keep battling. These past few weeks I have seen so many patients with co-morbidities. One patient would have a chronic breathing disease, breast canacer survivor, heart problems, and the list goes on. I love watching the love they have for their spouses and family.
I was doing a mobility review on this one patient today and when we were taking a break, I began to ask her about her family. She began to tell me how her husband will be glad to have her back home again. They've been married for more than 60 years and they don't talk a lot anymore because he is almost completely deaf. His has a hearing aid but words get misinterpreted all the time. Most of the time they just sit beside each other in silence and that's all they need. She told me that he comes in sometimes and he'll just sit there and hold her hand. That is the sweetest image. There's something to say about being comfortable with silence.
There's this other patient that I see everyday for exercises and chest physio. I've seen her for almost two weeks now and everyday I've seen her, her husband has been there. Her husband is 90 years old and stays by her side everyday. As I was leaving today he told me, very proudly, that he has not missed a day coming to the hospital to visit his wife. He's such a sweet man. A cute elderly man who cares dearly for his wife. They are one of those couples who would be literally lost if one of them unfortunately left the other.
Working with the elderly population is so rewarding. They are so caring and they love to talk. But many are also so scared at what's happening to them. Sometimes I just hold their hand and you can see in their eyes that that calms them down and lets them know that we're there to protect them.
It just seems like a more rewarding field and more challenging because of all the co-morbidities. Time will only tell what I end up doing. Things will probably change again once my next prac starts.
The more I work with the older population, the more I enjoy it. I love working with that population, probably more so than an athletic population I think. They just have so much more life experience and their main objective is just to live a little longer. I'm in awe of how much will they have to keep battling. These past few weeks I have seen so many patients with co-morbidities. One patient would have a chronic breathing disease, breast canacer survivor, heart problems, and the list goes on. I love watching the love they have for their spouses and family.
I was doing a mobility review on this one patient today and when we were taking a break, I began to ask her about her family. She began to tell me how her husband will be glad to have her back home again. They've been married for more than 60 years and they don't talk a lot anymore because he is almost completely deaf. His has a hearing aid but words get misinterpreted all the time. Most of the time they just sit beside each other in silence and that's all they need. She told me that he comes in sometimes and he'll just sit there and hold her hand. That is the sweetest image. There's something to say about being comfortable with silence.
There's this other patient that I see everyday for exercises and chest physio. I've seen her for almost two weeks now and everyday I've seen her, her husband has been there. Her husband is 90 years old and stays by her side everyday. As I was leaving today he told me, very proudly, that he has not missed a day coming to the hospital to visit his wife. He's such a sweet man. A cute elderly man who cares dearly for his wife. They are one of those couples who would be literally lost if one of them unfortunately left the other.
Working with the elderly population is so rewarding. They are so caring and they love to talk. But many are also so scared at what's happening to them. Sometimes I just hold their hand and you can see in their eyes that that calms them down and lets them know that we're there to protect them.
It just seems like a more rewarding field and more challenging because of all the co-morbidities. Time will only tell what I end up doing. Things will probably change again once my next prac starts.
posted by Sub29 at 10:03 PM
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