Philip Y. Kao PhD thesis - Research@StAndrews:FullText

Figure 11
A med cart
One of the residents I worked with named Grant anticipated all the various actions I
performed on him. He would instruct me everyday on the same set of procedures he
wanted done, even though I had already been assisting him for two months on a regular
basis. At 6:15 a.m., he was already awake, and insisted on being the first person I tended
to. His door was always cracked open, and before I could even enter his room, he was
already speaking to me. Grant said, “Hey, look who it is. Well come on, get my shoes and
bring the wheelchair.” He had a habit of wanting a fresh shirt on before anything else.
Upon picking out a shirt and helping him put it on over his head, he asked for lotion to be
put on his legs. He typically wet his briefs overnight, but rather than wait for me to take
him to the toilet to get him changed and wiped clean with some of the disposable wipes,
he wanted lotion on his legs first and foremost. As soon as he was off the bed and into
the wheelchair, and even before I could position the wheelchair towards the bathroom,
Grant would lift his right leg up. This was a sign for me to put on his socks and shoes.
Once he was on the toilet, he told me how much toothpaste to put on, and then started
joking around with me. Knowing that I was just a part-timer, and that I was not always
assigned to his section, he would say, “So, I see you’ve found some more important
people to be with.”
100