Maltesers with Margaret
A night shift at The Russets and I’m in the kitchen, snuggled up in my dressing gown just as Margaret comes back out of her room. “Hello,” I say, “I’m just getting ready for bed. Do you need anything before you go to sleep, a cup of tea maybe? How about a biscuit?”
We decide on toast and marmite and I sit with her for ten minutes while she eats it. Margaret has Lewy Body dementia and has been with us for two months. She’s a keen Newcastle fan so I tease her about the match, before she decides to head back to bed. I offer a Malteser as encouragement and, sweet-toothed as always, she blows me a kiss.
The first time I put on pyjamas to come to work was strange, but now I know it’s an important cue for residents. It says more clearly than words that it’s time to sleep. Margaret spends more time out of bed than in, but sometimes, like tonight, this simple tactic does the trick, which is better for her.
I love the night shift, you never know what to expect. There’s some routine. We make a plan to cover how many times to check on each resident, making sure they are dry and comfortable and if necessary, changing sheets with the least possible disturbance and with as much dignity as we can. Tonight is quiet with most residents in bed because they want to be, but Russell stays up until gone midnight doing bits and pieces to his vegetable garden. Later I help him get ready for bed. He likes to be as independent as possible so I’m careful not to fuss.
Margaret is back up, she can’t sleep, I make her a hot chocolate which she drinks while I go and check on Rose. She’s out in the garden by the time I get back. I say “it’s chilly”, we look at the moon and I say “it feels like my bed time”. It’s two out of two tonight and she heads back to bed.
I usually end my shift clearing up, getting water ready for tea and helping to prepare as much as possible for the morning team. Tonight was a bit different. I finished by singing to Jeanie when she woke up extra early. Some days she’ll tell me to disappear off. This morning though, we really connected. We looked at her wedding photo, I sang the wedding march and she let me help her get ready for breakfast. I won’t forget it, a very special moment for both of us.
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A sense of purpose
It’s 10.30am when Reg decides to get dressed. He’s normally an early riser, one of the first up for breakfast, but today, for whatever reason, he’s having a lie in.
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A journey of discovery
At first I wasn’t sure whether The Russets would be right for Dad, how he would respond to people with more complex conditions.
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