Nursing Part I : First Day In SWAMI

Today is tuesday, so it means today is my first day to go to work as a volunteer in SWAMI Home.I woke up early in the morning, so that i will be able to get to there before 10am, since the place is extremely far from my place. Since i was rushing, my breakfast was just a simple bread with blueberry jem.

Taking the MRT alone took about 45 minutes, plus with the distance travelled by walking there,which took about 20 minutes, i arrived at SWAMI at about 9.30 am. After my arrival, i was told to meet with the Head of Nursing Department, so that i can get instrustions from him on what is my duty as a volunteer. Maybe i will be following a nurse,or helping in patients' room, i was thinking. But it turned out to be something else, i had been stationed in the hall, where it is the place for some of the elders (those who are able to move around) to hang around. Honestly, i wasn't really pleased with the arrangement, cause basically there's nothing to do there. I was told to just help out around there, maybe talk to the elders and interact with them.

A duty given is a responsibility,so i guess i have no choice but to talk and interact with them. The job seems to be easy, but if it's your first time, you will definitely find it difficult.The reason is very simple - the elders who are staying there (under Nursing Department) basically stay alone, with no friends or family members with them. Thus, they developed an attitude which resist to talk to strangers. Probably they are feeling lonely....my thought at the time. Well, i am not giving up, so i walked around the hall, up and down, front and back,left and right, just to see if anyone of them needs my help. I also tried my best to talk to them,and it was really really hard, as other than the problem of resisting outsiders, even if they wanna to talk you,they are unable to talk. Seeing their conditions, my mind can't helping thinking and my heart can't help feeling pity for them.

After like 2 hours, it was time for lunch, and for those who are not tube-feed will have to come out from their rooms and eat in the hall. Food will be taken out from the kitchen using a movable trolley and distributed to all of them in the hall. So, firstly drinks (water) will be distributed to everyone,each person will have one cup. Then it comes to food,the nurses there have to remember who are able to eat rice,and who can only eat porridge.Therefore, they will start doing their work.Of course, i was stationed there,to help. So i helped along with the nurses-giving out food under their instrustions. After that, i was ordered to feed some of them,since some of them are unable to eat on their own. It was a simple work, and i did it with feelings and cares.Soon,after eating it was time for them to take a nap and rest,it means it's time for me to rest too.

I went out for my lunch, and ended up eating in a Chinese shop,rice with dishes. I went back to SWAMI Home after eating and all the elders were not out in the hall yet, so i decided to walk around there, apparently it was just wasting my time. Until about 3 pm, another volunteer appeared, and she was a lady,who will conduct a cooking show for them,as an activity for the elders. It seemed like they really enjoyed the show.Joanne (name of the lady) did the activity beautifully.She wasn't just cook in front of them, and talk and talk like any other cooking show.Instead, she will show them the ingredients one by one, and ask them one by one,what are the ingredients, so actually it helps the elders in exercising their brain cells,to recognise things.It was well done. Of course,i helped out throughout the activity.

Sooner than i thought, the time was 4 pm, and it was time for dinner, shocked for a second for me,cause it was very early but it's their life routine. So, same procedures, same ways....i played my part,as a volunteer. After like 30 minutes, everyone had eaten, time for them to shower, and time for me to leave.After saying bye bye to the people in the office, i headed on my way home.

It was a long day for me.I admitted that beginning of the day, i was bored cause there wasn't much to do,but at the end of the day, it was fun. I felt kind of contented and happy....