Hospital Chronicles - Mother and Child

Already 2 people have suggested I wrote about my experiences at the hospital. I did not want to at first because I was afraid of getting into some kind of legal issue with the hospital. Then I realized what better subject to write about than the hospital! I spend 8 hours a day there, 6 days a week, I virtually do not go anywhere else except church or Holland Village, I might as well write about it.

The names of the characters have been changed to protect their identities. Any similarities are purely coincidental.

Ephesians 6:2
"Honor your father and mother" - which is the first commandment with a promise - "that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth."

It was my first or second week as a newbie in the ward. I was raring to give my care to anyone who needed it. After spending 3 years walled up in polytechnic and stuffed with so much theory I could not wait to get down to do the real thing. So when this particular auntie (we call everyone auntie) wanted to go for a shower, I immediately said yes.

I approached her with a commode. A commode is a special wheelchair made with a hole in the middle, so it functions like a seat when wheeled over a toilet bowl for people who cannot walk there independently. We use it to shower patients in a big bathroom, also known as the assisted bath too.

I overlooked one big detail before considering bringing her to the assisted bath - she was rather overweight and was rather weak in the legs and arms. She needed more than two people to transfer her onto the commode. Practically speaking, she was not a suitable candidate for a shower; it would have been safer to sponge her. But I was determined to help out this old lady. I thought it unfair to sponge her for another day, especially after her daughter confided she had not had a shower for more than two weeks since she was admitted with a stroke.

We, her daughter and I transferred her rather clumsily onto the commode. In my head, alarm bells were going off warning me of the dangers of attempting such an unsafe option. After all, I almost dropped a patient in my third year when I helped him from the chair to the bed. Since then I have always told myself never to do anything I was not confident of. And being a staff nurse, I am solely responsible for my patient's safety. My patients and their relatives rely on me to make the sounder judgement in any situation. In my heart I hoped Mrs. Sim's daughter could not make out my insecurities.

The initial part of the shower was spectacularly refreshing! The moment the water hit her hair and face, I immediately felt so good for auntie. She was washing away 2 weeks grim from her body. Her daughter was concerned for my shoes and uniform- whether they were getting wet. I was totally at ease with the discomfort; I think I was enjoying the bath more than they did.

Then came the tricky bit. She had to wash her, erm, buttocks. I tried all the methods I learned as a student: spray from the bottom, spray from the front, from the side…none worked. We decided we would lift her up by the shoulders and attempt from the front. Who would do it? Her daughter told me to lift her. Okay, so she has become the nurse. Never mind, I swallowed my pride and let her take the lead. Mrs Sim's daughter reached down to clean her mother's body. She did it like a mother cleaning a baby's bottom, so uninhibitedly and not minding the dirt on her hands.

What an act of service! I have never seen such humility displayed towards any of my patients from their children before. Most people would gladly leave all the nursing responsibilities to the nurses, they would not even want to learn how to care for their parents. They engaged maids instead. This was a rare sight.

For the rest of the shower experience, Mrs. Sim's daughter directed most of the work while I assisted her. I did not mind it because this woman had so much to teach me.

When Mrs. Sim was placed safely back to bed, this time with the help of one more person, I told her daughter that what she did was such an act of worship, and I hope she did not mind my inexperience. She said God says that we must honor our parents right? She did not think much of what she did, instead she thanked me more for allowing her mother to experience one of life's simple pleasures.

Personally, I did not think I did anything. If all she needed was my permission, then firstly, I think patients should not be at the mercy of their nurses. Secondly, I realized my word did carry a lot of weight, albeit responsibility. What I saw at the end of the day was an amazing act of worship to God and his people and that was pricelessly pleasurable.

Posted on 02 August, 2005 by Charlene