Today I turned 51.
I used to think that was ancient.
Now I take care of people twice my age.
I have a resident who's 102, still walking, completely lucid, and very independent. She's incredible.
I spent some of my time working the floor on the memory care unit.
That makes me very determined to never be like these poor residents who are going backwards in development and have lost their ability to problem solve how to get out of a corner.
I plan of keeping my brain and body active.
Fortunately we have no history of dementia in my family. I know that's no guarantee but it's a plus.
I do pretty well in dementia care as I've learned to stay calm, not take the behaviors personally, and to always remember this is someone's parent.
51 is not a bad age to be.
I had a good save this week. I sent a resident to the ER because I knew something was really off. They caught the hernia just before it strangulated.
For my non-medical residents, a strangulated hernia is an emergency as all the blood flow to the intestines could get cut off causing the intestines to die.
My resident was in surgery about 2 hours after she got to the ER.
I consider this a win for her and a win for me and my staff.
I do feel as if I'm helping people receive quality care and a better quality of life.
I am helping others.
51 is not a bad place when I feel like I am making a difference.
