PHYSICAL THERAPY 101
About day 3 or 4 in physical therapy at the nursing home I began to realize how much this experience reminded me of nursery school--only for old people and I was one of them. I would arrive at the therapy department at the expected time of my session and there would be a lot of people lined up around the room in wheel chairs and arm chairs for those of us who could walk. The therapy room had lots of things that reminded me of toddler toys only slightly more adult like fitting rubber rings of various sizes over metal rods on a stand and large colored pegs that fit into a rubber peg board on a free standing base. I decided that if I were asked to perform some of these tasks I would just lose it altogether and thankfully I was able to avoid most of them. I understand why they had these tasks because a lot of these folks had had injuries and strokes which impaired their usual abilities.
A lot of the people there, mostly ladies, were pretty bad off and often sat in their wheelchairs and slept between tasks which was usually from the time it took the therapist to turn his or her back and then check back on the person. I just knew that these folks were probably never going to get out of those wheel chairs or ever be able to care for themselves again and that was sad.
On this particular day I heard a therapist say to a patient, "Now you be nice today." Shortly later another therapist was telling another patient to say she was sorry to someone--that was when I realized I was at nursery school. The therapists also had a tendency to over compliment your progress in therapy. I guess that was because they see such little progress, but to me it seemed a little patronizing. I do have a great deal of respect for these therapists and they all seemed capable and happy in their work.
One little lady accompanied her therapy with some sort of chant that sounded very Native American like to me. I never could understand what she was saying or whether it was a happy or a sad response, but she would do her walking exercises with her therapist all the while chanting the same sing songy punctuated ditty over and over.
Now I'm receiving my therapy in a more professional atmosphere but it isn't as fun as when I got to see the dear little old ladies at Palm Terrace in PT 101.
A lot of the people there, mostly ladies, were pretty bad off and often sat in their wheelchairs and slept between tasks which was usually from the time it took the therapist to turn his or her back and then check back on the person. I just knew that these folks were probably never going to get out of those wheel chairs or ever be able to care for themselves again and that was sad.
On this particular day I heard a therapist say to a patient, "Now you be nice today." Shortly later another therapist was telling another patient to say she was sorry to someone--that was when I realized I was at nursery school. The therapists also had a tendency to over compliment your progress in therapy. I guess that was because they see such little progress, but to me it seemed a little patronizing. I do have a great deal of respect for these therapists and they all seemed capable and happy in their work.
One little lady accompanied her therapy with some sort of chant that sounded very Native American like to me. I never could understand what she was saying or whether it was a happy or a sad response, but she would do her walking exercises with her therapist all the while chanting the same sing songy punctuated ditty over and over.
Now I'm receiving my therapy in a more professional atmosphere but it isn't as fun as when I got to see the dear little old ladies at Palm Terrace in PT 101.
posted by dddonna @ 4/10/2008 08:21:00 PM
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