A Little Sceptical But Trying

Work has been a bit of a trail and triumph. I finally got caught up on a tiny portion of the paperwork but the machinations of management are more than a little frustrating. The meetings are going smoother but even what was supposed to be a ‘Oh there’s nothing to update you on’ turned out to be ‘Here’s a list of new things you must do, and we are changing things to a far more complicated way but not yet’ type of meeting. I keep saying to myself that I will not speak up, not stir the pot then like an out of body experience I watch myself opening my mouth and questioning the wisdom of management. That is the kind of thing makes a short meeting quite long. My only suggestion to the supervisor was if you are going to change certain things that affect the group home and it’s staff make sure that it will work in a practical manner.
It brings me back to that topic of partnership and what it truly means. Strangely last week we had one meeting all about teamwork. Part of it was a survey trying to discover what we thought about our team, how did we work as a team and so on and it was supposedly anonymous. The second half of the meeting the team had to write out then discuss what types of workshops would we like to see implemented to help promote teamwork and what are the barriers that prevent teamwork. The wording was rich with implications. It didn’t seem to include the supervisors, managers and all the powers that be above them in that part of the equation You didn’t want to give pat answers, you wanted to say something that would have an impact for the better. You want your voice heard. Say you had a poor work team there you are sitting in front of everyone speaking about workshops that the team should have. How do you answer, is it communication skills, is it information sharing is it one staff not pulling their weight? Maybe it’s not your immediate team that you’re thinking of when you answer but how the organization works as a team. I think what management wants to hear are suggestions for your immediate team because it is something they think they can fix, everything else is just to big. Under the gun and with the supervisor watching us, we furiously wrote our answers to those two questions. Then each of us had to read out loud what we had written and all of us had to discuss each of the answers. The supervisor wrote down whatever was pertinent and commented on our commentaries. Then we hand in the anonymous survey and our written opinions. The supervisor puts it all into an envelope and tucks it into her briefcase. Luckily we have a strong team that values our different approaches and whatever comes from this survey our team has already explored and probed relentlessly what we do and how we do it as a team.

Closing up the Cottage

It’s hard to close up the cottage for the winter. The cottage itself is somewhat rustic, with the odd creature comforts such as running water. On the other hand the water is lake temperature and hot water is heated on the stove if you must have it. There is an outhouse a walk away from the cottage no comfort there but it does have a water tap and a basin. I think it is the quietness of the place that I enjoy. At night, the absence of sound is somewhat is startling. Except that lone mosquito that seems to be buzzing right near your head when you’re trying to sleep. I’ve gone on mosquito hunting excursions in my cabin, armed with a flashlight and bare hands I would follow that bug until it’s whine has been silenced. Nobody bothers to turn the TV on except late at night and the radio is mainly used for weather reports. I get to read when I’m there. That is a luxury that when I’m in the city I just don’t have the time for. Sticking your feet in the water and just staring out across the lake, letting thoughts skip around with abandon. Helping out with the ongoing projects, which I should do more of but if it involves a ladder I just can’t get up the nerve. Here I am conjuring up images and memories wishing we could make just one more trip up north. On the last boat trip back to the landing where the truck is parked the waves were horrendous and for the first time I was actually worried that we were going to be swamped by the waves. The weather in the fall is so unpredictable that it is too chancy for another trip across the lake. I guess the closest I’ll get to the cottage until the springtime is a desktop picture of the lake.

Happy Birthday Dad

We are celebrating Dad’s birthday today!!! I found a poem on the net (link is in the title) and it just seemed to fit Dad.
Happy Birthday Dad
Love
Karen

On the Edge of Burnout

I have been experience some work burnout lately. In a job that has built in stressors sometimes it’s the little things that are overwhelming. I have always worked with adults with the more difficult or severe conditions and that means more challenges. Our gang is getting older and more prone to the negative side of aging. More physical work, more paperwork, added responsibilities and less support all contribute to a difficult work situation. I would love to get on my soapbox and explain what downsizing and budget cuts can do to a group home. When it happens in a business there are all sorts of articles in the paper on the net explaining how it affects the typical worker, their family even the community. When it happens to a group home the effects are magnified because it’s not just the worker that is put through the stress but it affects the care and the quality of life of the people living in the group home. As a counsellor you have to pick up on the extra work and responsibilities so the people in your care do not suffer.
So here I am at home after a long day at work. Jangled nerves and an eye twitch after dealing with yet another outburst from one of the gang is more typical than not. Trying to unwind by listening to Podcasts and playing online games is the norm. A few days off is what is needed and I’m trying not to feel guilty of leaving my co-workers a staff down. I will be going up north with some of my family to close up the cottage and to take many pictures of the fall colours as a necessary medicine to combat work fatigue.

The Photo's Memory

I have been trying to restore an old photo for someone in the group home. A fellow staff person found this old 2-x3 inch old black and white photo on the floor in one of the bedrooms. It is stained, wrinkled and creased and there is no identifying dates or names on the back. We showed the photo to the person we figured it belonged to and he did not recognize the people in it. Considering the condition and the size of the photo it is no wonder. In the picture it shows a family in a nondescript backyard. The father is holding his son in his arms. The mother is cradling a fat cat in her arms and is standing close to her son and her husband. Their son has a big grin on his face and his arm is wrapped around the cat’s head. The centre of the group is the cat and the young boy. Looks, love, contentment and the cat connect all three. The cat has the look of one used to being mauled by humans. Did it realize it gave a young boy happiness in that moment? Somewhere along the way that boy became a man who will tolerate cats to some degree but no other animals. In that moment they were unaware of what the future held. They may have had an inkling of the course of their lives, to work, to live, to endure, to love. At the moment they had their problems but who didn’t. At that moment a fat cat was part of their group, sharing a moment that would be frozen in time. What is lost is the story that goes with the picture. The cat long since deceased, the father passing away long ago and the mother just a few years back. There are no close relatives to look at this photo and regale and remind the son of what once was. So I started the long and tedious process of fixing this picture to make it as clear and presentable as possible. Maybe there will be something there to spark a memory of that family that seems so lost in time.