So I return from my LONG hiatus from blogging, to bring a new update... :) My apologies for being quite delinquint in writing.
Today I made my first visit to a doctor's office to try and gain as much experience and wisdom as possible. I left, having walked down Hastings, having been offered methadone for sale, and having chatted with 2 gentlemen, one who lived in an SRO and the other at a Salvation Army. They shared with us their passions, which included confabulated stories of their past and present, and their dreams for a newer, better world that was coming soon. We ascertained that one was feeling quite healthy and was taking his medications properly, and obtained a signature to allow for a transfer of financial authority.
Not quite what would be expected in a traditional Family Practice office, but then you learn not to expect much when you work in Geriatric Mental Health. One client we were supposed to meet, shortly before we left, we found out that he wasn't home. Each person we went to see we wondered if they would actually be there. Many of the clients do not like doctors, and so you don't tell them that you are a doctor.
All in all, it was quite a different experience, but one that I enjoyed, and I am excited to learn more about as I spend the next 3 weeks there. Healthcare in the Downtown East Side is a completely different dimension of healthcare than anything I've ever encountered before, and I'm looking forward to what I'll learn from that experience over the next month.
2 comments:
Esther, I've been working in Kelowna with drug/alcohol addictions so your piece was particularly interesting. I'm glad to hear you are enjoying school. Isn't it amazing all the interesting people there are to meet, with such different life stories?
Hi Esther! I see you posted on Melissa's blog and thought I'd post on yours:) How have you been of late?
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