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

this Elmira responded, “It’s time to wipe your hoo ha.” Teri grinned, but a smile soon
emerged. After we turned her onto the other side, I took the dirty bedspread away, and
she pleaded for someone to scratch her back. I took to this task enthusiastically, mainly
because she derived so much satisfaction from it. She could not reach around to her
back, and my scratching was a real relief for her, especially after sleeping on a wet
bedspread. 24 As soon as Teri was cleaned up and dressed, we put some bandages on her
legs. She had a skin condition with many warts and rashes, and the bandages helped to
protect her sensitive skin from ripping. When Teri finished lunch, Elmira and I would
take her back to the room, and check her briefs for signs of any wetness. We slipped a
large sling behind her on the wheelchair, fastened it, and lifted her out of the wheelchair.
I controlled the lift like a crane operator and slowly lowered her back into bed. Elmira
turned on the television and brought some peanuts over to her and placed them in a
plastic cup next to her. She would be in this position until 5:30 p.m., when the next shift
caregiver would have to change her briefs and take her to the dining room again.
Teri often commented to us while we were wiping her bottom, that she had made a
stinky. She would say this tongue in cheek, and confronted the fact that Elmira was
disgusted by the smell. Teri would say, “What’s the matter?” Elmira said, “Someone made
a mess again.” She was very aware of her condition, but rather than dwell on the fact that
she was bedridden and could not use the toilet or even a portable commode, she allowed
Elmira to joke with her about her bodily functions. Whenever we turned her to the side
and asked to check on the status of her briefs, she pretended to be surprised and in awe.
She announced, “What in the world are you doing?” She joked with Elmira, and asked
why I was always there with her. Whenever we took her back to the bed after lunch, she
would not let us leave until Elmira tucked her in. Elmira had to kiss her on the head, and
pulled her blanket up close to her chest.
24 Caregivers are supposed to check some of the residents’ briefs and bedspreads on an
hourly basis to ensure that they did not have to lie in their own pee and poop. This rarely
happened though. What was most important was for the caregiver to change the
residents’ briefs and bedspreads just before the end of the shift so that the incoming
resident could start the shift on a clean slate.
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