THE UNSCRIPTED CARER - 6TH NOVEMBER 2007
So far, so good! We are nearly through the fireworks season, and while it is absolutely fantastic to see the glorious displays over the fields in Rugby, I am afraid that the dogs are more worried by the unexpected and loud bangs, rather than revelling in the beauty of the displays. This time of the year is when the dogs prefer being in the house, to outside! Even inside the house they react badly to the noise, however, this year they have been remarkably good, the older of the two dogs slept through the evenings, and I think this helped “de-stress” the other dog (and my wife). Sunday morning seemed to be a reward for us handling the bangs so well on Saturday, the morning sunlight playing on the changing colours of the leaves was frankly amazing. It was also a timely reminder that there is beauty so close to home. We have both been getting a bit down recently, and I have been feeling a bit trapped in the house – this is the time of year when I feel the need to take my camera outside and drive around capturing the autumnal colours. However, this year this has not been possible. It is also the time of year when “boy’s toys” become very attractive, and the lure of a digital camera to use with my existing (Canon) lenses is very strong. I deeply regret not making the step to digital while we had a regular income, but there again the new cameras are so much better, and next year……… We are now investigating Web and email access, so that we can have a more interactive blog – it was all so easy at work, we had a team of people to look after the PCs; update the software; sort out security issues; email issues, etc. I tried ringing a few Broadband service providers, but they seem to live in their own world. I thought BT were especially stupid when I contacted them, the best they could tell me was that there were three options, and details were available on the internet – I wonder what they heard what I said, when I told them I was not currently on the internet. However, despite their inability to help, they suddenly seemed to be the one of the most helpful suppliers, at least they admitted to having three options! For example, AoL directed me to their website (!) and the prices and offers on the site were already out of date. In the end I contacted some experts, who advertised locally, and suddenly I discovered that you could speak English and get answers in the same language – I guess that is where I am going, and I felt much more relaxed talking to them than dealing with the so called “help” desks from the service providers. The whole episode reminded me of the early days of HiFi, where the guys that actually knew what they were doing would not let you buy anything without you hearing it in your home – the others just spouted buzzwords, and could not get their heads around the fact that the sound of a HiFi system is influenced by the room it is used in. I don’t think they even cared about the sound of the system, just how fashionable the words were! The end result is that the good guys still exist, and the rest have been overtaken by the “Curry’s” of this world. At least I have now found something that appears to be harder than becoming a carer! I wonder if it is all a cunning plot …. if only they were so well organised! My next problem is the fear of getting sucked into the trivia on the web, and even worse, the ubiquitous ebay. I was lucky that I could access the web at work, mainly for work, but also for pleasure – however the system tended to block the real time wasters. Having used the web a couple of times in the last 6 months, and sent 1 email in the same time – both courtesy of one of our neighbours, I guess I could be categorised as a “low volume user” (you see I am already picking up the stupid jargon!). Once I get connected, the great temptation will be to surf the web – it will be a very interesting test of our resolve. Fortunately, my wife is more strong minded about these things than I am and so I am hoping that I will have some time at the end of the day! Yet another example of the “cared for” sorting out the “carer”. Nicola (my cared for) has been a bit under the weather recently, not just the “normal” bad stuff, but something new, so we made a “safari” visit to the doctors. For Nicola it is a long journey from home to the doctor’s (7 to 10 minutes), we need to get there a bit early because the car parks have been dug up, and then we had a long wait. There was a really good reason for the delay, but that does not help Nicola’s back survive the delay. Surprisingly she got home nearly in one piece and was soon able to rest her back, and apply the necessary ice packs. The treatment is already starting to work after only one day – despite being warned it would take a while, so all in all, it was a successful visit. Today (Tuesday) was quite a good day – the sun was out, and the leaves were gorgeous, unfortunately the good light had disappeared before I got my camera into action (there is always tomorrow!). I went on one of Guidepost’s carer training courses in the morning, and it was quite a first for me. The course was “emergency first aid”, and I usually make a total fool of myself at first aid courses by either fainting, or going very cold and clammy as if I am about to faint. Although this provides a good “dummy” (in every sense) for the teacher to work with, it is all a little bit humiliating! This time I was perfectly normal (for me) and really enjoyed the session, and the matter of fact way it was presented. I also now feel able to handle minor emergencies around the house, and know where to draw the line and call for help (999). I have always been wary of blood, and had a tendency to faint. A long, long time ago I was able to apply first aid to someone in a street at Manchester – I did every thing right until the ambulance arrived, at which point I fainted and hit my head on the ambulance steps. I woke up in the next bed to the guy I had helped – and he got out before I did!
