Technically, the shift began at 11 p.m. on the 30th. Half of the staff sported costumes like hasty afterthoughts—a hat here, a nose there. One nurses’ aide painted her face like a lion, which could have been frightening to some residents with more advanced dementia.I shared a station with Courtney, a blonde and very thin woman with a perma-sneer. She was not in costume, unless her fingernails, which were painted purple and covered with tiny metallic beads, were a nod to the holiday. She wore the standard green-gray scrubs and an expression of constant exasperation. In the first hour she said five words to me; no, there, don’t, touch, and that. Two nurses’ aides sitting across the corridor, Ruth and Darla, wore matching Raggedy Ann makeup and wigs. Darla was also pretending to be pregnant. The next day it would come as a surprise that Darla’s enormous belly was real and that she was actually six months pregnant.Overhearing their conversations, I learned about several deviations from normal patient care.
What do You think about The Genius Of Little Things?
