I approached Lauren, the assistant supervisor, about accessibility concerns at Maplewood. I cannot leave or enter the building without staff assistance. I’m not able to hit the door open buttons either because of limited arm mobility or location of the buttons. The bathrooms and showers at Maplewood are small with a little storage area. Because of the tone, my legs stick out when I’m in the commode chair. I am banged around a lot when staff try to roll me in the shower.
I lived at Sojourners over a year before moving involuntarily to Maplewood. The rooms, bathrooms and showers are designed for people in wheelchairs. The front doors are automatic and my therapies are located in the building.
So why did I move?
It still chaps my ass on why. I was hospitalized at Mary Free Bed rehabilitation hospital for three months late last summer. My case manager at the time visited to announce they were moving me to Maplewood. The reasons Beverly told me were horseshit. She said they were making changes to the programs so they were shipping me out. The real reason was because there were too many quadriplegics at sojourners for staff coverage.
The renovated room accommodations at sojourners are more conducive for people in wheelchairs. The bathrooms and showers are much larger as are the rooms. My therapies are located at sojourners so I have to do the hundred yard dash in cold weather from Maplewood.
Within two days, the front doors at Maplewood where reprogrammed to make entry into the building easier. Not much can be done about the bathroom and shower except blow it up and start over.
A couple of skills developed since my accident are self directing my care (which staff appreciate) and self advocating. My motto is the squeaky wheel gets oiled. I have strong interpersonal skills and can be stubbornly persistent. I do have that Greek temper that bubbles to the surface occasionally. This shocks the staff that don’t know me extremely well.
On a different note, Dr Talsma stopped by for an unscheduled visit Thursday afternoon. She asked if I was aware that I had a nodule on my thyroid. I said I was not aware of this. I asked questions and she said the worst case scenario could mean cancer. She said this was unlikely as thyroid cancer usually hits people in their late teens to early 20s. I researched this because it did not sound accurate, which I confirmed. She said an ultrasound will be scheduled. She said this was discovered when somebody read this buried in my 117 page discharge summary from the hospital. I’m pissed because the hospital never told me prior to my discharge about this. I’m going to research whoever is responsible for this oversight and may give them a dose of my Greek temper.
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