200 Hall

I graduated high school in 91. I wanted to start making money, I didn't want to go to college. There was an ad in the paper to take a 6 week course and learn to be a Certified Nurses Aide. We pay you while you train and place you in a job. Well, every girl wants to be a Nurse at sometime in there life huh? Or at least played one.

Anyway I graduated from the class to 200 Hall. Let me introduce you to my family for two years (names are changed to protect me-lol)

Mr and Mrs Robinson-Married forever! I got to work every morning at 7:00. They were always up, beds made, sitting in their chairs, both of them starred constantly at their door to say hi to someone passing by or to wait for visitors. I never saw anyone come to visit them.

Mrs. Nell-Had her hair permed by the beautician that came once a month. She always reminded me of Mr Toad from The Wind in the Willows. One of the sweetest ladies you would ever know.

Mrs. White-Still in love with her husband that had been dead many many years. She was a free spirit and I loved her. She had a wall of "her children" in her room, pictures of employees kids, grand kids, etc, she had a picture of me up there, of course I was only 19. She got her GED at 86 and had it hanging there too. She said she had to leave school to get married, you couldn't do both back then and she always wanted to go back and get her diploma. Her dentures always flopped in her mouth when she talked and she would giggle and put them back in place. I hated to hear when she passed away.

Mr. Jones-threw his turds at you when you would walk in the door so we will just skip over him.

Mrs. Tanks-The shortest thing! Hair hair was always a mess and she would cry. I felt so bad for her, she never would tell me why she was so sad. She was from Kentucky and I always liked the way she said Paducah. When I would help her get dressed in the mornings she would ask me to put a Mississippi knot in her thigh highs so they wouldn't come down. Funny it was the same thing as tight rolling your jeans that was big in the 80's.

Mr Walls and Mr Smith-These two guys shared a room together. They would get up every morning and sit in the hall. They giggled like two teenage boys talking about girls butts when they walked buy. Mr Walls use to talk about his "balls" all the time. That was his favorite line, "Mr Walls has got big balls." He said it over and over like it was a new joke to him and I laughed every time so did Mr Smith, never was sure if Mr Smith was trying to be nice like me or just as forgetful as Mr Walls.

Mrs. Tate-Mrs Tate was a good 350 lbs. The dietitian had her on a 1200 calorie diet and she never lost a pound as long as I worked there. She reminded me of Jabba the Hut. Never moved, hated it when I would make her get up out of bed, pretty sure she snuck food but I never said a word to her about it. From what I was told no one ever got her up out of bed before me. I am sure no one ever did after I left there either.

Mrs. Pounds-talked in riddles, used her feet to move her wheelchair around in the hallways. She was married to Mr. Pounds who was in another room. He would come to her room every day and tell her how beautiful she was and that he loved her. I don't think she ever really heard him.

Mr. Thurman-Had the old pin up tattoos on his arms which I always thought was so neat. He use to talk to me about blackjack, drinking and gambling. You could tell he was something in his day. I watched him pass away, right in front of me. No resuscitation sign above his bed.

Mr. Smith-talked extremely loud! His laugh was always delayed when I would tell him something funny in the mornings. I would always open his curtains in the morning and wake him up. One morning he grabbed me and yelled in my face, "I am going to be late, hurry." Scared me to death. The head nurse told me later that he suffered from mini strokes and had apparently had one that night while sleeping.

There were several others I didn't get the chance to interact with very well. The lady that always picked imaginary greens, the lady that would go up and down the hallway screaming COD FISH FOR SALE and the lady that smoked so much she had a yellow streak all the way up her face and through her hair.

Don't ask me why almost 20 years later all of these memories came back. I visited several times after I left there. I met some great people. It scared me too to see so many people with so many problems but made me start to appreciate the senior citizens in our life at such an early age. I have an aunt in the nursing home now. She is not near as sociable as the other residents I am sure, but I hope someone remembers her 20 years later. Also reminds me that I need to visit her more often...take the time and visit someone. It makes their day, I know...Until then

Keep Rockin