So I feel like going over what happened yesterday, just because I didn't really explain much in yesterday's post. Also I'll talk about a cute little discussion I had over lunch today.
So yesterday I got to work at the usual, 9am. I was driven in because my car was in the shop. I tried to text people to ask for a ride from AMC to the capital for the protest, but no one could help. So, at exactly 12pm, I left for work (backpack and everything) and walked down to the capital. It was a 30 minute walk, and I really enjoyed getting some fresh air. Then from 12:30 to 1:30 we shouted, handed out fliers and talked to people about it. Speaking of fliers, somewhere along the line I got designated as a flier person, and now whenever I show up to these events I'm automatically handed papers. I hate my ability to talk to strangers and handle rejection, haha. Anyway, at 1:30 we all got together and talked about the rally. Some people went to get food, a few left. Most of us went inside to watch the senate (which was in session at the time). We were hoping they would vote on a certain bill we were all interested in. By the time I got in there, it was probably around 2:00. I stayed there until around 3:20, watching those idiots do nothing but blab at each other. I eventually got a text message saying there wasn't enough time and they weren't going to get to the bill, so we met up outside again. We all ended up walking to Bombers, and I called my mother to come pick me up from there. By this point I'm not feeling well again. So mother got there at maybe 3:45... and I headed home!
There, now you know (in detail) what my day was like! Haha...
Oh also have you noticed my increased use of parenthesis? I feel like I keep using them so I don't have prepositional phrases in between commas.... huh
Anyway, on to today! (wow this is a long blog today)
So on to today. When I got to the break room with my lunch, Dr. Zimmerman, Connie, and Beth were in there eating their lunch as well. Connie is a nurse and used to be the 2nd in command over at the PT department until she came here. Beth is the social worker here who works with all the families that come in to see Dr. Z. She also works with any family that needs help, including holding support groups for family members of those with AD and having talks at a lot of different events. They're both awesome people. Well anyway, they got into a discussion about how they all got into Alzheimer's work. It was so interesting to hear their story.
Dr. Zimmerman had been a long time teacher at Columbia before he went out to Oregon. While out there, a man he worked for told him he was going to help create an Alzheimer's research center. Dr. Zimmerman, at the time, had no knowledge of the disease at all, so he was a little shocked. He was thrown into its creation and set up. He ended up being the head, gaining the grants for the research, and recruiting members.
Connie came from a place that wasn't making her happy. She was miserable, and it was affecting her health and her well being. She was desperate for something new. She was only 2nd in command, so she couldn't make any real decisions, but she still had a lot of responsibility. I visited where she came from, and it's a tough place to work. Imagine spending your life in a small room with little to no equipment, trying to get the elderly patients to go to and finish their physical training. Yeah, motivation is not a strong trait of these people. When someone offered her a job as a nurse over here at the ARC (Alzheimer's Research Center) at a significantly lower pay, she went with the logical choice and said no. But then it hit her, this was the chance she was looking for! So she came over here.
Beth had the most touching story. She graduated from college with a bachelor's degree and immediately went into social work. Eventually, the place she was originally working at closed down, so she took a 6 month position at a local old folks home that was open. She met with the family members of the people who stayed there, and family members that were considering enrolling their spouses and such there. She told one story of a woman who she met very early on. She went for a house visit to talk to the woman who's husband had very severe Alzheimer's. She was shown around the house and finally brought to the bedroom. When the woman looked at their bed, then looked back at Beth, she finally said, "Do you see this bed?" Beth of course replies with a yes. The woman continues, "For the whole day I take care of a 3 year old. At night, this is the only place where I get my husband back." (If you don't know, as the brain atrophies in AD, the person regresses in age, with most regressing to about age 3 before they die) It was people like that that struck her so much, with the dedication and the patience these people had to have. So she ended up staying at that nursing home, and she joined the Alzheimer's Foundation to learn more about the disease and try to help families. Eventually they made her president of the board, and things went from there!
Now if someone asks me how I ended up here... all I can say is... it was an accident! As they all put it... Alzheimer's chose me, not the other way around, and they chose me for a reason. Oh they're all so nice here!! XD