The Monotonous World of Rehab
On days like today I find myself keeping my curtain tightly drawn and shutting all of the outside world away except for the sounds that is rehab. It may seem anti-social, but I have everything I need in my room. Duke is usually curled up on his bed or stretched out on the floor, I have TV and Internet access and my food is brought in to me. When it is not what I want, I have other food to snack on.
I’m not the only patient to do this. Take another young guy down the hall for example. He rarely leaves his room, unless he’s going off the property or out on the front step to have a cigarette. There is simply no reason. The only activities we have is Bingo twice a week, and music a night or two per week (one of those being at the Veteran’s home that is connected to the rehab). The only other things to do all day is to go to an hour of each therapy (if you have any), or sit in the common area next to the elevators and listen to the TV that is usually blaring so loudly it’s a wonder your ears don’t bleed. If you are capable (and allowed) you can also head down to the cafeteria on the main floor, but it is usually either completely empty or totally over-crowded for about an hour each day. There are also no tables that are high enough for a power wheelchair to go under.
My ‘rules’ regarding where I can go are as follows:
Around the building: I’m allowed anywhere in the building (providing my spasms are calm enough to sit in my wheelchair).
Outside (on the property): Technically, I’m allowed to go down the ramp at the front entrance and either turn to the right and let Duke do his business on a patch of grass that is next to the front step, or at times when the parking lot is not busy (after supper and at night) I can go across the crosswalk at the end of the ramp and stay on the sidewalk until it turns into steps that lead down to another section of parking lot (the yellow route).
In reality, Duke needs his exercise and there are only so many times we can move up and down the little piece of sidewalk before it becomes extremely boring and mundane for both of us. When there isn’t a lot of traffic in the parking lot we take a different route. We turn left at the bottom of the ramp and head toward the parking lot near the Veteran’s building (the blue route). My wheelchair can go six miles per hour, which is only a jog for a husky, but Duke enjoys running down the incline of the middle section of parking lot in full dog sled form!
Off the property: If I want to venture off the rehab property, be it a walk down the street, or by bus to go further I must be accompanied by another person. The reason for this is safety due to my spasms and because I get autonomic dysreflexia (AD). I’ve been off the property once so far this year. It was a trip to Walmart with an occupational therapist (OT). Other than that trip, once to the dentist, once to the Royal St. John’s Regatta, and one trip to a couple of pet stores the only other times I have left the property since June 7th, 2011 is by ambulance to go to the hospital for doctors appointments.
The bottom line is, there is very little to do for the older patients and even less for the younger ones. We are held, waiting to get out with nothing to keep us occupied except for watching TV, having a couple of games of Bingo and sitting around to listen to someone sing the same handful of songs repeatedly. These things alone are not enough to break the monotony of every day, even for the oldest of us, so we end up roaming the same hallways until we get so bored we could cry and then head back to our rooms to watch TV. Is this really the healthiest way to spend our time in rehab? Of course not, but it’s all we got.
The people who are capable of (and allowed to), leave the property whenever they can and I don’t blame them at all! On weekends their beds are empty and it gets very quiet. The recreation room is open, but the remote for the TV in that room, the Wii and every other form of entertainment are all locked up until the recreational therapists come back on Monday.
Then there’s the patient here that breaks up a bit of this endless boredom by constantly inviting himself into everyone else’s rooms, but as friendly as he is, he doesn’t really ‘get’ the whole concept of people needing a break to have some time to themselves. A chat would be nice, but the poking, prodding and constant chatter and tormenting can only be tolerated for so long before the curtain is drawn and you almost dread having to leave the room in case you are followed wherever you are going and back into your room again. I’m not trying to be mean. He’s a nice guy, but I’m sure you can all understand what I’m talking about.
We are not only basically trapped inside the building (or on the property), but staying in the relative ‘comfort’ of our rooms seems like a much better alternative than dealing with what is outside the door.
Chloe, and 
fridawrites are discussing. 
My Spinal Injury Rehab 
fridawrites 12:57 AM on March 12, 2012 Permalink |
Criminals in prison receive more!
Kim & Duke 2:38 AM on March 12, 2012 Permalink |
FYI the building on the map across the street (Forest Rd.) and left of the rehab with the fence around it is Her Majesty’s Penitentiary.
Chloe 4:41 PM on March 12, 2012 Permalink |
Wish I was there to entertain you; or is it the other way around? Failing that, you should head to the penitentiary to see if they’ll take you in.
Kim & Duke 11:45 PM on March 13, 2012 Permalink |
I’m sure we could get into a lot of trouble together! I’ve thought of heading over the the prison many times… Too bad I’m not allowed off the property on my own!