Eastern Oregon

We are living in Pendleton Oregon most famous for a big rodeo called the Round up.  Problem is the Round UP is for only one week of the year and that week is in September.  For the rest of the year not much happens in Pendleton.  It is very much a western town in fact as I'm writing this in a local coffee shop a men just walked past with real spurs on his cowboy boots.  I haven't seen any horses tied up outside of bars but really wouldn't be too surprised if I did.  Several of the shops downtown sell western gear including boots, hats, and saddles.  There are several small cafe's within walking distance of our house. One of them hosts events such as open mike and blue grass jam both of which left to be desired. One night they had a beer tasting from Deschutes Brewery in Bend, OR which was pretty cool.  There is an outdoor ice skating rink here but the session closed on February 3rd. 

So the thing to do here is to take day trips to the mountains and towns. On one such trip we drove to Walla Walla Washington about an hour away.  Walla Walla is known for its many wineries and has been called the next Napa Valley. The people in the town claim their town is so great they named it twice but really the name is Indian for many waters as there are several rivers that run through the area. 

On another weekend trip we took a hike to Hat Rock which is off the Lewis and Clark trail.  Its basically a big rock that looks like a hat in the middle of the desert.

We decided to invest in a pair of snow shoes and we tried them out in the Andies Prairie just outside of Tollgate, OR.  The trail was in the woods on slightly marked trails.  I got nervous we lost the trail one time. 

This weekend we went to Mount Emily Snow Park just past Meacham. There was fresh snow on the ground, so much so that we had to park off the exit and walk into the park.   We went with a group called the InterMountain Alpine Club which is based out of Washington state and leads groups of outdoor adventures.  It was nice to go with someone experienced and familiar with the area.  We got to hike some off the path and into the woods without stress. We hiked a little over 5 miles which burns about 1200 calories.  We had a big dinner that night!

At the end of the trail we found the snow plow!

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The Job

By now we are a month into our 1st rotation with the travel company.  So we are getting more familiar with the paper work process and daily requirements of the job.  The setting of our job is a nursing home with a rehab center attached.  It is fairly nice for the rehab patients.  They get their own room with their own bathroom.  The halls are carpeted and the walls have a decent paint job. The rehab gym is nice too with good space and newer equipment.  There is even a rehab Wii type game to use with the patients for exercise and balance strengthening.  We have a therapy kitchen and bathroom as well to practice daily activities. The nursing staff is very helpful as well.  But then you head to the other side of the building to the long term care side which is more like a level in Dante's inferno. It makes you really think about taking advantage of life and your loved ones.  I have do say though for a nursing home it doesn't smell bad. I've been in some that reek of urine and dust.

Another discovery from working with older adults is the similarity between them and children with autism.  At some point after 80 adults become very resistance to changes especially schedule changes. If they are told therapy is going to be at 9:30 and I come at 9 I get a lecture on how I'm not supposed to be there yet.  The thing is, in this setting, a schedule is more of a suggestion than a set in stone because you never know when a patient is going to refuse or have to cancel due to nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, or high INR levels, meaning higher risks of blood clots.  Forget it if they have a doctors appointment that day, they will send you away so they don't miss their appointment even though its not till 11am and its now 8am.  I have been actually refused in the afternoon because a patient had an appointment in the morning and they were too tired because they missed breakfast and lunch to make their appointment.  Suggestions such as taking food to go does not even registrar.  Another similarity between older adults and autism is their fascination with poop.  One lady I work with likes to inspect her poop before we flush for reasons I don't understand. 

My funniest yet grossest experience happened this week.  Please skip reading if you get squeamish.  As an occupational therapist I work with people to help then gain independence with their daily living skills such as bathing, feeding, dressing, cooking, and yes even toileting.  I was working this week with one particular older lady this week when she told me she had do use the bathroom.  So I helped her in and shut the door to give her some privacy.  A few minutes later I knocked to see if she was done and she said she was and that she needed help cleaning herself.  As I was getting some gloves and whips she says I feel like its hanging out, is it hanging out? When I look back I can see about an inch or so of poop sticking out the back end.   I quickly tell her to sit back down and give her a few more minutes.  When I come back she says "it won't come out and I don't have time for this because I've got to go to therapy, I just need to pull it out."  In my head I'm thinking this is where I draw the line, I'm not pulling poop out of anyone!.  But she says she can do it if I give her a glove.  She proceeded to do the deed and at the end I convince her that if she can do that she should be able to clean herself.  Of course this was my last patient before lunch!  Check back for more interesting stories in the life of a traveling therapist.  Until next time, remember to always wear gloves.