Adult Day Care

I don't write nearly enough. I would love to believe I had a reason for not doing so (a busy life, ever expanding social life, and so on), but that is far from the case. It's not like I sit on my ass all day with nothing to do either. I work in the mornings and early afternoons at an adult day care. That should say it all, am I right? Surprisingly enough, it has its perks. The last thing I expected was to be working with the elderly.

It isn't a back breaking job. It includes serving coffee/food, conversing, and helping with various activities (arts and crafts, cooking, presentations). Basically, my job is to keep everyone happy, comfortable, and busy. My clients or rather the centers clients are respectable individuals. Adult day cares aren't necessarily for those who can no longer take care of themselves and for family members to dump them on someone else (an assumption I made years ago before I even thought I'd get this part time job).

I will say that there have been moments where I have gotten a run for my money. Haha. I've learned to never underestimate someone despite them looking frail and disoriented. I learned this after having to guard the patio door for nearly two hours with the risk of being hit by an elderly woman half my size and a skip in her step.

When I wasn't performing my duties as body guard, I was privileged enough to be there when a tear or two were shed for someone who was leaving. One of the sweetest men I've been blessed enough to meet became teary eyed when we got the news that one of our staff would no longer be working with us in a weeks time. It's moments like these that remind me that people like him still exist. Not a day has gone by that he doesn't walk in with a smile on his face and a willingness to be there.

To sum it up, I love my job. Some days aren't nearly as rewarding but that's life. I may not express my appreciation for these types of things, but I wouldn't change them for anything. Adult day cares aren't everyone's cup of tea, but it's given my a chance to open a few new doors in what I would like to do when I graduate in two years. Serving coffee and doing arts and crafts may not be a dream job, but the little things you do for another person can make that much of a difference.