I was turning in for the night when I checked up my phone and saw a notification from Feedspot on my FB page . I clicked on the link not really expecting to connect as I have a very dodgy wi-fi that acts even more crazy by end of day.
But it did connect and guess what I saw 
It truly was an OMG moment !
And all this has been because of all of you my loyal readers
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Thanks
Akshay Tritiya which was on the 18th of April this year is supposed to be the hottest day of the year. This day of endless joy and prosperity is considered very auspicious simply because of the celestial positions of the sun and the moon and the stars. It is that time of year when Earth is closest to the sun.
But two days later , there doesn’t seem to be any difference in the distance between the Earth and the sun because the temperature seems to rise as we get deeper into summer.
Since the heat doesn’t melt away the fat that has accumulated round my middle, I decided it was high time to do something about it . Especially since I’d been inspired after reading blog posts from Anami and Bernie on the #AtoZ challenge this year.
All my friends are chronic dieters and the one tip that is frequently shared is to drink lots of water. Some advocate hot water . Some advocate warm water. Some advocate warm water with a squeeze of lime . Some suggest a pinch of cinnamon. Yet others suggest a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar. It doesn’t matter what flavour you prefer . What matters is water .
So I have been diligently drinking lots of water these last two days. I have also been visiting the Gym downstairs and clocking 3 km on the treadmill for around 35 minutes .
Feeling rather pleased with myself, I decided to push boundaries and yesterday I targeted 40 minutes at 5.5km. I had no sooner done 10 minutes than I began to feel the urge to pee.
“Control , control, ” I told myself . It was the best opportunity to do my Kegel exercises at the same time . Besides 30 minutes go by fast enough.
But I hadn’t contended with the excess water I had drunk just before my workout . “Hydrate yourself before a work out ” rang loud in my ears before I put on my trainers.
However, by the 20th minute even Kegel couldn’t help and I quickly rushed out of the gym and waited the interminable wait for the lift to come down 24 floors.
Anyone who has waited for a lift in such a situation can vouch for how long a minute can be. I closed my eyes and looked inward, concentrating on my breath going in and out .
When it became harder to focus on the breath, the lift door miraculously opened . I rushed inside and pressed 23 . Just as the doors were about to shut, in rushed a delivery man, sweat pouring down his face.
He triumphantly pressed 20 and began mopping his face with a smelly handkerchief. I scowled as I realised that my journey would have a stop before I reached home .
I could feel a drip slowly escaping and was hoping I wouldn’t embarrass myself. My dark coloured tracks wouldn’t help in hiding a wet patch that threatened to happen.
I looked upwards and took short deep breaths like I’d been instructed to do by my Lamaze teacher 35 years ago.
By now the lift had crawled up to 10.
Sweaty Man began fanning himself now.
Then he raised his arms upwards and stretched his weary arms. The small space now was suffused with end of day body odour.
I now had to concentrate on two uncomfortable sensations: one in my nose and the other ….
My bladder was threatening to burst.
The lift stopped on 20 and Sweaty Man got out.
Two seconds later I got out .
It was the longest lift ride ever .
Next time I’m not going to hydrate myself , exercise gurus be damned.
Ward-boys are a different kettle of fish, I discovered in the last few weeks.
I’d always heard of Ward-boys and even seen them working in people’s homes. But little did I know just what it is a Ward-Boy does and what it is he doesn’t.
Looking after a sick person is difficult when you yourself are a senior citizen. Naturally we enlisted the help of a ward-boy from a reputed agency. I soon discovered that there is nothing like a reputed agency much less a dedicated and committed ward-boy. In fact, I heard that every one has struggled with this issue simply because as older people looking after even older people, we are at the mercy of these so called ‘para-medics’ who claim to provide perfect health care in the comfort of your very home.
Yesterday we struggled with home care because the Day Wardboy never showed up . Unfortunately, this came right on the heels of the night when the Ward Boy for the night didn’t show up either !
2. Ward Boys are at liberty to show up at will and not show up. They have the right to inconvenience patients.
Having come up with a stone wall, I asked them about the non-appearance of the night WardBoy. I was shocked by the exchange that followed .
The stony silence at the other end meant that the manager didn’t buy my story.
I explained that there are many jobs that require people to work the ‘graveyard shift’ and they don’t expect regular breaks. In long haul flights for instance, two sets of crew work in shifts in order to ensure seamless working .
But the Ward Boys and their management seemed to think that their mere presence was enough help!
In all these years I’ve realised one thing:
Professionalism is dead.
Commitment to a job is even more dead.
As consumers, we have to pay top dollar to indifferent, unprofessional Service providers who are only interested in getting a commission from the staff they provide .
And as for Ward Boys , particularly the night ward boys, they are only interested in getting a bed for the night – especially one that they are paid to use !
In the past few weeks we’ve found out that Ward Boys need to be treated with more than kid gloves :
They get offended if you tell them to attend to the patient rather than their mobile phones
They expect YOU to provide them with washed and ironed work clothes .
And today I heard him say that the patient has to listen to HIM rather than the other way round .
And can you believe this is happening in a home where there is constant supervision of a family member . I’d hate to imagine what the Ward Boy would do if the patient is left entirely in his care. In other words the Ward Boy particularly the night boy would prefer to deal with a comatose patient rather than someone who may just recover and be fit again.
What would you do in this situation ?
One of the most difficult aspects of home care for the elderly or infirm is dealing with incompetent staff. Would you continue taking nonsense from the Ward Boy or do you think my attitude is ‘feudalistic’ or ‘unrealistic’?
Would love to get your feed back in the comments.
Twenty- five Seven 