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

drawn out process involving a mixture of creative lying and coaxing, the use of elaborate
mechanical devices like the Hoyer lift, and the assistance of two caregivers. Over the past
few weeks, caregivers have been less than enthusiastic about coming into Betsy’s room.
Her recent bout with C.Diff (Clostridium Difficile) turned the room into a biohazard zone.
Caregivers enter her room with masks, protective eyewear and several pairs of gloves.
The bacteria in the colon, which causes an acute odour to the diarrhoea, made providing
care for her unpleasant. Beth, one of Betsy’s daughters, comes in during the afternoons
to bring fresh laundry, and spends time “sitting and chatting with Mom.” They mostly
end up holding hands, sitting silently together looking out of the window. Sometimes
they even watch a children’s animation film—Betsy’s new found fascination. Her
daughter sprays an aerosol to neutralize the pungency, and reminds me ever so politely
again to dispose of Betsy’s bright red biohazard garbage bags on a regular basis.
As I enter her room, I notice that Betsy is awake. I bring a cup of water to her mouth and
she takes a satisfying slurp from the straw. I re-position the hand-woven blanket so that
it covers her left leg, which is straying outside the bed’s confines. Her feet, sticking out of
her compression socks, are noticeably dry; I make a mental note to apply some lotion to
her later. Heading further into her room, I make my way to the closet and pick something
versatile for Betsy to wear, something that will keep her warm (from the draft in the
corridors), but won’t make her sweaty, a fine balance indeed.
An hour later, I decide to get Betsy up for the day. It’s about 9:00 a.m., which is an hour
earlier than the time most caregivers finally get to her. She is already eyeing me from her
the bed when I enter.
“Well, good morning”
Betsy replies, “Hi.”
“So, today is shower day. Are we ready?”
A one word reply, “What?”
“Yes, you haven’t had one in a week.”
“Well I don’t need one. I can shower myself.”
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