I am an RN and work at a nursing home. I work on the sub-acute side (after surgeries etc rehabbing to go home) but there is a long term side and an Alzheimer's unit as well. I started there a little over a year ago. I like to get a feel for staff as well as residents that may like or dislike birds before I take them in. I worked at my last place 10 yrs and Yoshi had made quite the name for himself there. I know Yoshi loves it and so do a lot of the patients.
Anyway I took Yoshi and Hollywood in (trying to socialize HW more). Unfortunately I cannot bring Zuri- she with her past would be a wreck. So Cassie (my daughter) took Yoshi and I HW and off we went. Yoshi was SOOOO happy, as he had not been to work for over a year. He is always the life of and the talk of the party. He is a little goofball. He happily jumps off to the arm of whomever wants him (and sometimes those who may not expect it) and runs up to hug and snuggle them, give kisses etc. I still have yet to teach him to say "yes I talk, can you fly?" ...though not for my lack of trying.
As we go through the Alzheimer's unit HW was on my arm and one lady was chastising me
Here is our conversation. Is he real? Yes ma'am he is real. No he is NOT real. yes, see he just turned your way, do you want me to come closer? No he USED to be real and now you stuffed him-how could you DO that to an animal and take him places, you disgust me! Do you want to see him closer? NO you are horrible, no get away now.
Alrighty then. Now Cassie has no idea what to think of this. She is like :deer:
I said no worries I will explain later and we did leave that area as not to upset the lady further. But a lot of the residents LOVED him, even some in the Alzheimer's unit. I took HW out the door outside so he could potty and a couple followed us right out to see him. (it's ok it goes around the unit and back in another door)
We went to the long term side and a few were taken by them. OH my goodness what do we have here!!?? They played games with Yoshi and talked with HW. They were very pleased.
Then off to sub-acute where my patients were. And I cannot tell you how many times I heard- I knew you had birds but this one is HUGE!! LOL And they had their pics taken a bunch of times. And the patients exclaiming to their family - THIS is my nurse!! All happy. Then Yoshi took it upon himself to jump over and see this patient who had a severe stroke and cannot move much at all yet. Jumped off to her arm, ran up her sleeve and snuggled to her neck. (we will call this patient Penny) She was all smiles and turned her head and said I hope you are not gonna attack me too? Nope he gave her kisses instead. :pray: She was smiling from ear to ear. I went to take him away cuz food trucks were coming any min and you know he would help himself to their food and steal it right from their mouth! So I go to get him and he RUNS to her other shoulder and hides there like I can't see him. (well this is not like Yoshi) So I go to the other side and he RAN down her shirt and hid in her sweater. Take him from there and he jumps again to her shoulder and snuggled. So I let him snuggle for a min or 2 longer then took him off with a hand covering him. He wanted so much to stay with her. I think she would have liked that too. The staff was getting a big kick out of this. But knowing his history and the only times he has acted like that was when with REALLY ill people or one of my dying patients, I talked to the supervisor before I left I told her of his history of doing that with only really sick people or the one who was dying and awoke only to exclaim "real!!" and smile. I said I know nothing appears wrong but I am telling you something is up with Penny for him to act like that. She says really? (like she does not believe me) Low and behold my supervisor sent me a txt message Penny passed away last night after having another stroke. She said she didn't really believe me but dipped her urine and checked all her vitals etc and all seemed fine.
I feel so sad that she passed cuz she was finally starting to move her hands and such and now she is gone. I am glad she had the opportunity to smile like she was before passing though.
