Sleeping on the Job

While working last night I found one of my two new aides dead sound asleep outside one of our more "active" patient's room. My supervisor was already on the unit helping me with the monthly editing (don't even ask. . .) so she went down the hall and had to literally shake the aide to wake her up. The aide was sent home by the supervisor at 1:30 am. "But I worked a double shift!" So what? If you're going to work two shifts back-to-back, you'd best be able to give both shifts the same effort. My demented patients aren't going to care or even know that you're exhausted. They still get up out of bed, stagger around, and fall on the floor. The aides are there to keep this from happening and keep the residents safe. Can you imagine explaining to some family member why their loved one has a broken hip or fractured skull? "Oh well, you know--Jane was working a double and was just so tired she had to sleep a while. Of course it's understandable. Grandma should have stayed in bed." Right.

I slept all day today and I am still tired (it's 10:15 pm). I picked up Anna in Milford at 8 pm and we're headed to Boston tomorrow morning. Here I am thinking about the North End, and she wants to go to Chinatown. Okay. I guess we'll be eating dan dan noodles for lunch.

Jack and I took a hike through Mines Fall Park yesterday. We had been there the day before on our cross country skis, but the snow was a bit slushy and icy for successful skiing. It's lovely and peaceful place in the depths of winter. One of the old power canals that used to run to the fabric mills and a portion of the Nashua River flow through the park so the sound of gurgling water is never far away.