The Day all the Social Workers Came

Today was a busy morning. I knew my Social worker and my nurse was coming. My daughter starts straightening up the Living room I asked her who was coming. She told me her social worker was coming. I laughed and said "mine too" we both started laughing.

Last year, when I was facing homelessness and was hospitalized the second time in two weeks I told my nurse what was going on and she called the hospital social worker. She came to see me and I told her what was going on. She got back to me and told me my medical insurance company had a combination of medical and social workers that would be able to help me.
I was assigned a nurse named Tina and a social worker named Jerry. I was in a hotel when I met them for the first time in my house. Children and Youth Services removed us to the hotel we just came to get some things and spend the day. We put in applications for places and went to church that evening.
Over the next several months they helped me with medical appointments and with furnishing my home. I also have a nurse that helps me figure out my health problem which is Sarcoidosis, an autoimmune disease. They have been a real blessing.

My daughter has an infant who is Seven weeks old. She has been enrolled in The Healthy Start Program, a program that tries to prevent infant mortality. They are the ones who helped my daughter decide to breast feed. They checked my granddaughter and she's right on time developmently speaking.

I don't always need them but I'm glad I have them.

Spending the Day in a crowded ER

I needed to go to the Emergency Room via Ambulance to Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh. The ER was extremely busy that I never did get a room. The rooms go to people who are critical apparently there were a lot of Traumas. I actually did not mind not having a private room first of all the people who needed it needed more privacy than me its hard to feel sorry for yourself when they bring a man in who was in a terrible accident and was unconscious passing by you. I would close my eyes and pray for each and every person. The doctors and nurses were great and professional. They are all heroes last night.

The male nurse couldn't get blood out of my veins and didn't want to stick me a million times so he asked a young Nursing Assistant to help. He blew a vein and so did she. She was able to give blood. Both were apologetic. I informed them that my veins are stubborn and tough and that I ain't mad. I've had this conversation a million times before.

I spent a good deal of time moaning about being stuck in the ER again to my friend Carol Douglas.

I didn't have a blockage and my Gallstones weren't blocking the Bile Duct. I was given cab slips home and pain pills before so I was high upon leaving the hospital.

This is not an Inner City hospital it is one of the best Hospitals but to be honest the Inner City hospitials are just as good. Yes Presby may have the best doctors but all hospital Personnel are the best from doctors on down to Janitors.

I made it home safe and sound.

Labor Day

Today is Labor day for most people Labor day and every other paid federal holiday is a day off with pay.  For me it is Double time and a half and 8 hours.  I work in a Group Home for people with mental illness that is staffed 24/7.  I don't mind working on a holiday because I really like what I do and when I work I give the Consumers a normal life.  They help prepare the food and set it out. They have a good time. 

Most poor people have to work on Labor Day because we tend to work in hospitals or Nursing Homes or like me in Group Homes. They also work in Retail where there is day off lots of people want to shop on the Holiday.

Labor day started because of people in Unions changed the way workers were treated.  Labor Unions like United Steel Workers started in Braddock and Homestead PA.  Back in the day the Steel Companies would do anything to prevent their workers from joining a Union.  The Steelworkers in 1919 were fighting for shorter work days and shorter work weeks.  The Steelworkers worked 12 hours a day and one day a week they worked for 24 hours straight.  It was downright dangerous.


The working conditions were lousy then and most people living today would not want to work long hours for pennies a day often if unventilated rooms and being locked in rooms.  Children were also forced to work long hours doing dangerous things. 

Most of us work 40 hours a week and 8 hours a day.  It leaves us a lot of time to spend outside of work with our families or attending church.




Enjoy your labor day and I hope you enjoy the food, fun and family.

To all caregivers who have to work today Thank you

This is for the people who have to work because people's lives depend on you.  Firefighters, Police Officers,  doctors, nurses, Nurses Aides, Hospital workers and people like me Resident Advisors in Group homes.

I work in a group home and I often have to work Holidays because we are a 24 hour program and our Consumers need us.

I'm lucky that because our program seeks to give our Consumers a normal live we cook out, go to parks, or to Keystone the homemade beach. We get to enjoy ourselves with people we care about.

I think about the police officers who keep everyone safe. Everyone who works in a hospital or Nursing homes caring for and comforting the sick and elderly. I've been in and out of the hospital many times and have seen all the hard work nurses and aides do from calming nervous patients to sitting by the bedside of a dying person.

I remember last October when a test was ordered for an MRI on my heart and I would not be given a sedative. A young Resident offered to go with me and she did.  I will never forget that.

I am also thinking of the Soldiers who are serving overseas in the war.  They are millions of miles away from their families and loved ones and like Police Officers their lives are in danger.

I'm not including people who work in stores because really the stores and businesses can close.

Happy Fourth of July to all Americans.